Red Velvet
by Sleeping Moon
Summary: Sequel to Dark Chocolate. Elliot March is willing to do any and everything for Blood: that is an absolute truth in Wonderland. But will his loyalty remain unshaken when the next target on his hit list is none than the foreigner Erin Oswald? Or there something more sinister happening behind the curtains of the current Game? Elliot x OC.
1. Chapter One

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

Gallifrey Stands!

* * *

"Are you finally going to kill me, Elliot?"

Elliot's grip on his flintlock pistol tightened ever so slightly at the question that echoed in the forest, devoid of any emotion even when Erin Oswald had her back turned to him. This young woman had been the center of his anxiety for over forty time changes, ever since the Spring Festival had plunged into an event of horrible tragedy. At least three dozen faceless subordinates perished, with at least fifty still unaccounted for. And Erin Oswald, their only lead to finding the people who caused such trouble for the Role Holders, the organization known as the Lullaby, was losing her mind.

Literally.

Despite smuggling a few books with her daily meals in the jail cell beneath the Hatter Mansion, like she had been doing daily since she had regained conscious ten time changes ago, Erin had not touch either of them and remained silent as she stared out at the barred window. Her bright-green orbs were dark and vacant, past hope and past care on her own well-being. But the worst of it all was her memory loss.

After being infected by the Madness during the Spring Festival where the Lullaby created a portal in their attempt to bridge the gap between Clover and Diamond Country, Erin regained consciousness with barely any recollection of what happened that time period, much less her association to the Lullaby.

Elliot wanted to believe her, that she was telling the truth instead of another bare-faced lie, but Blood would not hear him out. Despite the claim that their 'guest' had memory loss, Erin Oswald was still posed a threat to their organization because of her shaky alliance to the Lullaby. And if she did not give the Hatters the information they needed to hunt down that troublesome organization, then the next step would be to kill her. At the very least, to Blood as he sampled his newly acquired tea leaves, it would be amusing to see everyone's reaction to the death of someone so 'special' to Wonderland. Especially if the person they were talking about killing is none other than the only available prize in the Game; but to prevent any unnecessary interruption from the Lullaby or other Role Holders, the execution itself would unfortunately have to be discreet.

Plus, Erin was unneeded to keep Alice happy. There was no need to strengthen Alice's resolve to remain in this world when the Mad Hatter will gladly hides his uncouth occupation from her eyes, making her believe that being in Wonderland, with him, was truly her home and not back with her older sister. The second-in-command nodded in agreement, yet subtly mentioned that killing the fourth Outsider would not be necessary if she remembered; a lot had happened since they last met, and she simply needed some time to calm down and collect the fragmented pieces of her memory; but when he visited her cell seven time periods later, to coax Erin to say anything about what happened since she came to Wonderland, it lead to aggressive tactics from his subordinates and pushed the Outsider over the edge with a blood curdling scream.

The next thing that flashed through Elliot's eyes were black tendrils sprouting from Erin's back, followed by the decapitation of nine armed faceless. That awfully familiar darkness did not just stop there; it extended and twisted into four large flower-like petals, impaling the afterimages before greedily gobbling them up like a vulture, leaving nothing behind except ticking clocks.

After the March Hare had managed to subdue Erin with help from the remaining faceless in the room, he reluctantly reported this incident. The look in Blood's teal eyes answered his unspoken question: there was no point in keeping this young lady alive any longer. Take her to the usual site and finish her off. Bring subordinates. No exceptions.

Elliot inhaled a deep breath and placed his index finger on the trigger, still aimed at the target with faceless ready to jump in if things went dicey. But they wouldn't….

 _Because I, Elliot March, will be the one to eliminate the existence of Erin Oswald._

BANG.

* * *

Salutations, my dear readers! It felt only yesterday that I posted the last chapter of _Dark Chocolate_ on this website, yet today marks another milestone in my career as a free-lanced fan fiction writer: the first chapter in the final book of the _Carrot Cake_ series. It has been a long road with the publication of _Red Velvet_ , especially when real life tends to switch your priories around, but I sincerely thank everyone for being so patient with me. Please send feedback or thoughts on the story in the form of a review. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read this segment!


	2. Chapter Two

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story. Furthermore, the dress that Erin is wearing in this chapter is the Steamdress from American McGee's video game **Alice: Madness Returns** , which I also do not claim ownership over.

Gallifrey Stands!

* * *

Elliot's purple eyes widened in surprise as he felt a spike of pain bloom across his left shoulder blade, and followed by a strong metallic scent that assaulted his nostrils. When he heard the sound of a gun's safety trigger being pulled back right behind him, the March Hare immediately came to a grim conclusion as he shoved Erin aside and leapt away.

BANG.

He had been betrayed. These people were not subordinates who had sworn allegiance to him and the Role Holder who would emerge as the winner of Wonderland's triangular tug-of-war. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat before Elliot aimed his pistol at the faceless who had come with him to the forest.

"You've got a lot of guts to take a chance and double-cross the Hatters, after all we've done to ensure a good salary and make sure your families were safe from enemies! Why would you idiots throw it all away!"

But his passionate proclamation did not waver the clocks of his adversaries nor lower their weapons; the guns remained pointed at Elliot, ready to shoot at even the slightest twitch. Instead, they responded in unison, an almost sickeningly revenant manner as their voices mingled together, disclosing their eery affiliation. "On behalf of The Most Gracious Berceuse, we are here to retrieve the Outsider that holds Her interest as the incubator of the Vorpal Blade."

"And we were never traitors to begin with, Mister March." One of the faceless men explained, breaking the momentary synthesis. "Since the Mad Hatter has ordered us to kill Miss Erin just because she had suffered a nervous breakdown, we are the ones who will save her from being offered for such a silly reason." Despite the fact that he was referring to the absolutely befuddled foreigner who stood a few feet away from him and his companion, he did not spare a glance at her.

"What?" Erin looked confused at the faceless and at Elliot. Something stirred in her mind, but the adrenaline of the moment didn't let her quite grasp it.

And then once more, they spoke in unison. "This is not personal Mister March. We are all notes of the Lullaby, following the guidance of our Lady."

It was at that very moment Elliot had reached a grim epiphany: the syndicate had been infiltrated, right under his and Blood's nose. When his eyes fell upon Erin, he realized that she was just as confused as he was in this precarious situation. Secretly, he was glad that the Outsider had no part in it. A smirk twitched the corners of his mouth, and despite the enormous amount of pain he was feeling, raised his gun at the faceless and pulled back the safety mechanism. "You're going to save Erin? Two useless cards against a Role Holder? Sounds more like a suicide mission than a rescue!"

"Oh~? Then why don't we even out the odds, Elliot~?"

The March Hare froze at the unexpected chirruping that was quickly followed by a large broadsword swinging in his direction. Elliot hopped back to avoid the attack and landed nimbly on his feet, glaring at a tall, brown-haired man dressed in a red coat who decided to act as a barrier between the _mafioso_ and Erin. "Stay out of this, you damned knave! And get away from that Outsider!" Ace pouted.

"Aw, why not~? It's a knight's duty to rescue a damsel in distress~!" He said, moving his weapon from side to side in an almost laid-back manner. "But I have to wonder who it is that I should rescue her from~? You~? Or...could be a threat herself~? Let's find out, shall we~?" He cooed, turning his garnet orbs onto the young woman behind him.

With a carefree grin, he walked over to Erin and lifted her up not-so-gently from the ground. But instead of a verbal response from the foreigner, the Role Holder found himself lying flat on his back and in mild pain. He looked up to see the seams of a dark brown skirt disappearing into the forest he had just emerged out of moments ago. Ace blinked once, then twice until a bout of merry laughter left his mouth as he lifted himself up.

"Wow, it looks there is more to that damsel than just a pretty face~!" The knave crowed, dusting off imaginary specks of dirt from his pants before he made eye contact with an extremely pissed off Elliot. He smirked at the Hatters' second-in-command and raised his sword.

"C'mon, Mister March~! Why don't we have a little fun while things go according to plan~?"

"Fuck you, asshole!"

"Sorry, but my ass is reserved only for a very special person to screw with~! Or the way other around~!"

xRVx

When she saw the attention of the March Hare shift from his supposed servants onto the stranger who emerged from the forest, Erin took it as a chance to escape. As soon as she dove for cover beneath the canopy of the trees, the Outsider started to run. Run as fast as she could, away from everything.

The fight.

Those strange-ass blokes.

 _Elliot._

 _What is this Lullaby group? Are they an underground enemy of the Hatters' syndicate? Experiments? An incubator of the Vorpal Blade? Who was that knight?! Why did he come out of the forest like that? What does this all mean?! Those blokes scared me…yet for some reason, when I saw them point their gun at Elliot...it was almost as if a heavy weight on my shoulders had been lifted._

Despite the sea of tumultuous thoughts that crashed against the little grey cells in her mind over and over again as she continued to run, Erin remembered exactly why she did not like wearing dresses. While their design and concept offer a small reprieve from wearing pants on an almost regular basis, it left her legs vulnerable to the prickly branches of bushes. Not even her stripped socks sufficed as a shield against them. Yet if she stopped running to take even the slightest second to catch her heaving breath, it would be only a matter of time until Elliot found her and finished the job. Or throw her back in that damned cell.

Erin had spent almost her entire time within Wonderland in a box, or at least from what she remembered recently. She did not want to die in one, thank you very much.

Just when she twisted her foot while dodging the base of a very large tree, the silence was broken by a lackadaisical voice. "Oh~? Well if it isn't Erin. Long time no see, girlie~!"

The Outsider felt her blood freeze and immediately halted. She swiveled her head from left to right to search for its source when her emerald orbs fell upon a fuchsia-striped tail dangling from a branch; Erin followed it upwards until she saw its owner, a young man sporting animal ears and messy hair that was dyed the same color, lounging on an even larger branch. His clothing looked like the stud from a punk rock band, or at least someone who was very interested in the Gothic fashion trend. Either way, he was peculiar. A peculiar person who could be an ally to the Hatter syndicate or the Lullaby.

Erin's body tensed as she watched him gracefully leap from the tree and onto the ground, right in front of her. He smiled lazily. "It's been awhile hasn't it?"

The college graduate stared at him in confusion before fragmented memories started to resurface.

Punk-like attire.

Pierced cat ears and tail.

A laidback attitude.

"...The Cheshire Cat? Is that you, sir?"

He looked at the foreigner with a confused expression as his ears flickered slightly until he understood what was going. Erin's nimble mind must have been messed with since he last saw her. He mentally smirked at the thought. To the Role Holder, this situation was appeared to be an opportunity to renew his strained relationship with the young woman and become...even closer.

It would certainly help him move forward in the Game after he lost Alice to the Mad Hatter and Jackie was back in Heart Country. He grinned toothily at Erin and nodded. "Yup, that's who I am. My name's Boris Airay. But you seem to be a little off in that scary-ass memory of yours, girlie. You remember me, don't you?" He asked, plucking a few twigs that were tangled in her dark brown tresses.

Erin raised an inquisitive brow at the odd bloke before placing a hand on her throbbing temples, answering him in a tentative voice. "...My memory is still hazy, but it is hard to miss, or forget your... colors."

Boris hummed thoughtfully while his ears caught the sound of gunfire in the direction she had come from. To his trained senses, there was a fight going on and it was not going to end anytime soon. Poor girl must've gotten mixed up in it while doing errands or something. Alice has a habit of getting into that. He thought with a shake of his hand, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder as his smile stretched further.

"Hey, why don't we go to the Amusement Park? You can rest there until things calm down. And who knows? Maybe you'll be able to regain more of your memories if you're in a different territory."

"A-Are you sure that's all right?"

"Totally. You've got nothing to worry about. Loosen up a little, okay?"

After twenty minutes of walking through the forest on foot and then a small city, the two of them were able to reach their destination: a theme park that almost seemed like a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and equally energetic guests, coming or going as they please.

Once they were granted access by an employee, the Role Holder took Erin by the hand and led her to the first building on the right side of the cobblestoned street, a quaint little cafe that sat next to a souvenir shop. The unusual pair took a booth in the back, and after ordering some beverages and food from a perky hostess, Boris resumed their conversation.

"Last time I saw you was when we were in Heart Country with Jackie. Even though it's pretty unusual to have the Park come to Clover Country during a move, it's sort of fun too. Shame that she's still back in Heart Country though; things would have really been wild if she was here with Alice too. But I gotta admit, I'm surprised to see you here as well, Erin."

Erin's face scrunched in confusion. "...Jackie? Who is that? A Role Holder?"

"Uh, no. She's an Outsider, the second one right after Alice came to Wonderland. You're the third one."

Grass-green eyes widened at Boris' words before the young woman hissed softly under her breath, feeling a wave of pain wash over her mind as she placed a palm on the side of her head. "No...that cannot be right. The real second Outsider is not in the Heart Country...she's somewhere else. I'm the fourth one to have arrived in this place, not the third."

Erin was about to say something else until she felt an acute pain shoot across the synapses of her mind, piercing them with jumbled memories. First there was an image of the Cheshire Cat joking heartily at an irritated dark-haired young woman who wore a tool kit bag around her petite waist. Another one featured the mysterious knight, Ace, holding a small glass vial with a heart-shaped cap in his hand. But the next image that flashed across her eyes was darkness. Complete and utter darkness. It was familiar, it was loving, and absolutely terrifying.

The college graduate could not hold back the whimper that bubbled in the back of her throat as the pain increased tenfold.

Meanwhile, the Cheshire Cat could only stare, unsure what to do or say about his companion's distressed state. _Maybe she's too confused and tired from all that's happened to her_. He thought ruefully. _And getting involved in a gunfight must've pushed Erin to the limit. I'd better get her home_. "H-Hey, Erin? How about we finish up here and head over to my place, yeah? Maybe get your legs patched up too before you lie down for a bit."

The Outsider looked up at him before she slowly nodded, shakily grabbing the untouched lemon-lime flavored soda can and took at least three deep sips from it before she followed Boris out of the cafe, nodding to the faceless waiter who had served them.

Unbeknownst to either of them, from the opposite street Mary Gowland, the owner and leader of the Amusement Park, was observing the pair with piqued interest; standing dutifully by his side was an employee. His gaze remained fixed on them until Boris opened the backdoor leading to a cotton candy vendor, and disappear.

 _That young missy seems a little off since I saw her last time. Is that the right word? Off?_ Blue eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. _No. She's different. Hardened. Confused. And lost. Similar to Jackie, but she isn't at the same time._ His train of thought halted when the faceless asked him an obvious but very stupid question.

"Oh~? Is that the Outsider who has been missing since the Spring Festival, sir~? I thought the Hatters were keeping her imprisoned~."

"So did I. Girl must have somehow slipped through their security and made her way here. Sounds like those bastards are losing their touch after all of this time." Gowland chuckled at the entertaining image of his mortal enemy, able to flip around the profits of the black market and flaunt his victory in the Game to the other Role Holders, yet Blood Dupre could not keep another Outsider in his territory.

"Indeed~! Who knows what they could have done to that poor young lady, considering their utter lack of 'hospitality'~. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that she's here seeking refuge. Especially since Mister Cheshire has been awfully upset about losing the first Outsider~!"

"Damn straight. And we sure as hell aren't going to let them or that damn Hatter have his way with Erin, especially when already has Alice!"

"Then shall I inform the crew to be ready for an attack when the Hatters come here for negotiations again~?"

The Marquis nodded. "Yeah. And tell 'em that there's gonna be another rehearsal soon, so make sure everyone's on time, got it?"

"Of course~!"

"All right. If anyone needs me, I'll be at the new rollercoaster."

"Roger~!" The Role Holder hummed in approval and spun around in the opposite direction he had come from, eager to examine the new and anticipated ride that will have everyone in Wonderland clamoring for a taste of excitement. His faithful employee, however, had an alternative agenda in mind as he went to carry out the Marquis' orders.

Lightly pressing a finger on the second baby-blue button of his extravagant uniform, he lowered his head and began to speak softly into the wireless transmitter, muttering in an odd language while being careful to not his actions be noticed at the same time.

" ** _This is Merlo Azarola Alvarado, reporting from section B9 of the Amusement Park. Erin Oswald has been spotted with the Role Holder known as Boris Airay, the Cheshire Cat. I repeat. The fourth Outsider has been found within the Amusement Park. May Our Lady guides us to the future with Her Light and Shadows_**."

The connection remained silent for several minutes until he received a response through an earpiece, attached to the collar of a clef-shaped miniature speaker that was hidden beneath his uniform, in the same, strange dialect.

" ** _Acknowledged. Install more devices around the vicinity and closely examine to the ones that are already active, but do not approach the Fourth Outsider yet. Erin Oswald is still under the influence of Madness, and until she is treated in our facility, consider her armed and extremely dangerous. Furthermore, everything for Operation Legato is going to according to plan. Remain at your post unless further orders are given by myself or a higher-up. Understood?_** "

" _ **Yes, Lady Ava.**_ "

xRVx

With a somewhat irritated expression smeared her lovely face, a curvaceous faceless woman decked out in a three-piece gray suit tapped a button on the side of her earpiece and promptly disconnected from the comms network. Running a hand through raw umber colored bangs, the annoyance soon melted away to exhaustion and sighed heavily, continuing to walk down the hallway she had stopped upon receiving the call from Merlo, though retaining her confident stride as the Lullaby's information specialist.

Ava was proud of this new information. Information was her speciality. If someone wanted to employee a professional who could to obtain, spread, or simply forget one detail of data to mislead, all they had to do was go to the bar _A Weary Flamingo_ and ask to speak to the owner. Unless the client in question was a Role Holder. Ava wanted nothing to do with them. Especially for all of the trouble they have to the organization and their Beloved Lady. Their presence alone caused unnecessary delays for her team, particularly when the Berceuse requested information on the disappearance of Erin Oswald from the Spring Festival. According to gossip that has been spreading throughout the compound, the fourth Outsider was needed to ensure the absolute success of Operation Legato. But what for exactly? Ava did not know. And she did not dare question Lady A's word, much less her glorious plans.

Furthermore, despite being bombarded with tedious paperwork and still cleaning up the aftershocks of their botched Operation Sonata, the high ranking Lullaby officer was able to collect a decent of information for the Berceuse: Erin Oswald had escaped from being executed by the March Hare, and has been relocated within the Amusement Park.

 _The fourth Outsider is alive, but still slightly corrupted by the Madness. Ava thought grimly. Erin will need to be brought here for treatment sooner or later. Speaking of which, I wonder how_ his _treatment is progressing?_ Instead of taking a detour for some much needed coffee in the break room, the barmaid spun on the ball of her foot and turned left at the corridor, following a sign that read ' **MEDICAL FACILITY** '.

Not even bothering to knock on the door Ava walked in to see a shirtless young man in dark blue jeans wiping off the sweat from his face with a white towel, shaggy jet-black tresses falling loose from its shoulder-length ponytail. Beneath the light of the room, his russet skin almost seemed to glow. The bartender lazily waved at him. "Hey, Leo." He looked up and greeted her with a curt nod.

Seeing that the little bugger was not in a talkative mood today, Ava walked over to an old man who stood near Leo with a tablet in his pudgy grasp, greeted him with a lackasical grin. "Hey, Doc."

"Can't you brats bother asking for permission to enter instead of just waltzing whenever you want to?" The old man grumbled, not even bothering to lift his nonexistent eyes from the brightly lit screen that almost illuminated the baldness of his egg-shaped head.

This cranky crone, Dr. Felix De Santiago, once worked with the Hatter syndicate as their physician, but resigned to return to the Lullaby as the head of the medical unit, and recently this particular medical facility. Although he would never admit it out loud, he also missed being in the general medical environment, and watching his wise-cracking wife Eva whip fresh meat that arrived from the Lullaby's Training Academy to her special operations unit. It was a fuckng riot to see them piss in their pants.

But unfortunately for him, Felix's primary responsibility was the heath of Leo Durante Guevara: a former leader to the Clover Tower contingency group, current host to the Dark Vorpal Blade, demoted to a foot-soldier whose sole mission was to protect Erin Oswald.

The bartender shrugged. "I wasn't going to even come by this afternoon, but I got some intel that might interest your patient. Speaking of which, how is he doing?" Ava asked, looking over Felix's shoulder and ignoring Leo.

"Nice to see you as well, Ava." Leo deadpanned, knowing how chatty the woman could be.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's the word doctor? What are his vitals? Is he able to hold his ground in combat yet or does he need to stay off the frontlines for a little longer?"

Ignoring their one-sided squabbling, Felix responded to Ava's incessant interrogation. "Thanks to the upgrading in our medical equipment and new procedures to the therapy program at the behest of Our Lady, Leo is coming along just fine. We will still need to run a small test on his abilities as the Dark Vorpal Blade, though-"

"Why don't we do it now? I've got enough energy to keep going!" Leo interjected with a frown.

"Like hell you do. Any more physical exertion and I'm putting you back on mandatory bed-rest, which will in turn set us back by at least ten time changes."

"B-But-!"

Ava glanced at the two gentleman with a wary expression before a small smirk stretched across her mouth. "...Felix does have a point, Leo. You can't overexert yourself more than you already have. However," The curvy, middle-aged woman unlaced the straps of her pitch black shoes and dramatically pulled out two sleek pistols.

Darkness slithered across her curvy frame and coiled around slim arms, extending over her hand to reach the weapons while small, inky tendril-like wires washed over her entire head, covering it to form a type of optical lenses to enhance the vision of her non-existent orbs.

"I've been a little out of practice myself. As Lady A's Winxy Pistol, I can't afford to get sloppy. So how about we play a game? If you can dodge the bullets from both guns within a minute or less with your abilities, Felix will lengthen the training for ten more minutes. If you lose, then it's quitting time for the day. What do you say?"

Leo and the elderly crone stared at each other for a few seconds before Felix reluctantly surrendered with a heavy sigh. "Just don't put too many holes in my office all right-"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

"...Shitty brats."

* * *

I would like to thank _Momochan77_ , _Guest_ , _Allora22701_ , _snm1_ , _IowaAmbroseGirl_ , _Joker xll_ , and _Guest_ for taking the time out of their busy schedule to read and provide feedback on the first chapter of _Red Velvet_!

I don't know if anyone is aware but today holds a special place in my heart as both a person and a writer: On this day, three years ago, Erin Oswald made her debut in the first chapter of _Carrot Cake_. It was on this day that I learned what it meant to create a story, not just for my own enjoyment but also for the readers.

Thank you so much for being with me after all of this time with your patience and unending support, especially to those who have been on this train ride since the very beginning. I sincerely hope that the final journey through the pages of _Red Velvet_ shall be a memorable and fulfilling one. And so without further ado, here are a few words from _chaos-dark-lord_ that has asked me to pass on: **Hello everyone! I just wanted to say hi. Enjoy the story.**


	3. Chapter Three

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

Gallifrey Stands!

* * *

"I thought I had that damned knave cornered, but he managed to give me the slip. And when I looked around the area where she had run off to, Erin wasn't there anymore. She must have taken off to another territory as soon I got into that fight." Elliot finished gravely. He was quite angry with himself, thus unable to make eye contact with the Mad Hatter as he explained what exactly transpired in the forest seven time changes ago. Blood's dark green orbs looked at the drooping ears of his second-in-command for a brief moment before he hummed softly, take a small sip of his cherished black tea.

"That is indeed quite troubling. And as much as exterminating our entire staff would be useful in ferreting out the infiltrees, it's also too much of a bother." Being more observant of the two Role Holders in his office, the reason behind the distressed expression on Elliot's face was obvious. After all, he had his own Outsider to worry about."Do you have any idea what may have happened to the troublesome young lady under your charge?"

"Cards from different areas, especially the garden and the kitchen, have suddenly terminated their contract with us and left without another word. If I were to guess, they must have gotten word about their comrades and took it as a chance to return to their headquarters." Elliot replied, crossing his arms and closing eyes as he exhaled deeply. "I have no idea where Erin could be right now, but I've sent out a few of my most trusted servants to the town. They might be able to salvage some information on her whereabouts from there."

"Unless they are the infiltrees themselves." The Mad Hatter finished. He stared at his subordinate before he also released a heavy sigh, placing his porcelain tea cup on the wooden desk, neatly folding gloved hands over neglected paperwork.

"I am truly disappointed in you, Elliot. Under my command, you have flourished and helped laid the foundation of our organization with the men, women, and children that fell to your guns. But to hear that a simple betrayal amongst our staff, a single diversion, has allowed Erin Oswald to escape our clutches and with no trace whatsoever...makes me wonder if you can still hold the mantle as my right-hand man. However, since I am feeling generous, I'll strike a bargain with you." A sly smile curled the corners of his mouth. " If you can bring Erin back to us, as our ally, she will be spared and you can keep her."

The nefarious smile on Blood's smile accentuated, but before Elliot could reply, the mafioso felt the need to remind his subordinate what exactly this deal implied. "That will mean you will need to win her Game before it even begins, no matter what the cost."

Elliot's foul mood immediately perked in excitement, yet twisted his astonishment to a cautious frown. "And...if I can't convince Erin to remain with us as an ally?" Blood's answer was nonchalant and left no room for argument. "

"Kill her."

Mauve orbs widened for a second before the surprise dancing in them quickly diminished. At that very moment, Elliot knew that Blood would truly want Erin's blood to be spilled this time. Taking her to the forest with the promise of execution was devised as a scare tactic, to frighten the young woman so much that she would reveal what exactly had resurfaced in her fragmented mind. The stunt was special, one-time offer.

The March Hare felt an icy chill wash over him, but steeled his rattled nerves with a blank expression. Win Erin Oswald before her Game even started...could he really secure the heart of an Outsider who, not too long ago, could even not remember her own name?

Blood then smiled at his subordinate and waved his hand in a shooing motion. "Well, you have your orders Elliot, so it would be best for the interest of everyone that you get started right away. Oh, and before I forget, may you please tell dear Alice to come here, if you happen to see the young lady? I have... a few things to discuss with her."

The Hatters' second-in-command blushed bright red at the lewd undertone of Blood's words and Elliot almost immediately sprinted out of the door. Why the heck did the boss have to say it like that? The March Hare knew perfectly well what exactly transpired when those two were left alone. He could hear them from the other side of the Hatter Mansion!

The orange-haired Role Holder then released a heavy sigh as he made a right turn at the end of the east wing hallway, his thoughts filled with Erin's frightened and confused face from the dark forest, along with the promise he had to Blood. Elliot swallowed the lump that was lodged in his throat. _I really don't know if I can even win Erin when she's still terrified of me, but it looks like I have no choice. I...I need advice. From Alice. She knows more about this romance stuff than I do! And she is an Outsider too._

Now with a little more determination in his stride, Elliot continued to walk around the compound, asking faceless servants about the whereabouts of Alice Liddell until he was pointed into the direction of the kitchen. Soon he found her, polishing the silverware with a sore expression on her pretty face.

Why she insisted on doing chores, much less as a maid under Blood's paycheck, remained beyond Elliot's comprehension. But seeing how Alice's attention was solely on her appointed task from a few feet away, the March Hare discovered the reason for it: she had another argument with the boss, and Blood wanted to make amends with his temperamental wife (though the first Outsider continues to deny that they are even like that with a blaring passion and equally red cheeks).

"Um, Alice?"

The Role Holder spoke meekly, slightly fearful of the current emotions that might be swimming in Alice's precious heart, and was surprised that it had been enough to get her attention when sky-blue orbs met his own gaze.

"Oh, Elliot! You're back from work already? Welcome back!" Alice grinned at him, though it was temporary as the sweet expression became a concerned frown. "Have you seen Erin lately? I always lose track of time in this place, so I'm not sure if it is a good idea to...pay her a visit again."

 _So their fight_ had _been about Erin._ Elliot mentally concluded behind his sunny disposition. Even though the boss has been trying to keep contact between Alice and Erin as minimal as possible, but Alice is just as stubborn as Blood. She must have gotten caught by a servant trying to sneak her 'friend' some sweets in the basement again.

"Elliot?"

"H-Huh? Oh! Erin is fine, she's fine!" Elliot cheerfully lied through his clenched teeth. "Just...been a little sadder than usual. I tried talking to her before I left for work, but I didn't hear a peep. And I was wondering," The March Hare sheepishly scratched a reddening cheek. "I was wondering if there was anything you knew that might cheer her up!"

Alice looked at him with a surprised look for a second until she hooked a dainty finger under her chin, posing in a stereotypical impression of thoughtfulness. "Hm. Now that you mention it, Erin has been pretty quiet and even short with me when I try to talk to her. But I did hear from a co-worker that she recently requested some of the books that were brought to her be from the cooking section of the library. Specifically, confectionary." The first Outsider then turned to Elliot with a sly smirk. "Could it be that you're falling for Erin, Elliot~?" Her smile widened even further. Who knows? Maybe she was reading those books so she can make you something! Like a carrot cake!"

Elliot felt the tips of his ears burn in embarrassment at the implications in Alice's words. "M-Maybe!" He almost squeaked, profusely thanking the young woman for her advice and promptly left the kitchen.

Despite the fact that he could hear his clock ticking rapidly and felt almost weak in the knees, the thought of Erin actually harboring romantic affections for him, even after everything has happened since she came to Wonderland, made him feel strangely happy. With sudden clarity, the March Hare remembered one simple habit that Alice possessed. She would bake sweets for Blood almost all of the time, even though she would never admit it out loud.

Perhaps winning Erin's heart before her Game commenced was going to be easier than he originally thought. Then again, where would be the fun in that?

xRVx

Erin leaned back against the warm arc of a wooden bench, exhaustion evident on her face and absolutely drained, both mentally and physically, from the 'fun' she has been currently enduring with Mister Boris at the Amusement Park. Although he allowed her to rest at his flat for a few time changes after being found in the forest, the Cheshire Cat insisted on getting started with their adventure as soon as she woke up.

The two of them had been admitted to at least ten rides and several vendors that sold different types of treats and snacks that were unique Wonderland, although there some that seemed suspiciously familiar from her world. About thirty or so feet away, the magenta-haired bloke was in line to purchase a drink that can change the tongue to different colors with each sip; from peridot to stark-white, the randomness of it was quite appealing to both children and couples, though it made Erin grimace slightly in disgust.

She liked sweet beverages, but not to _that_ extent.

"Excuse me ma'am, but are you alright?"

Glass green orbs blinked in surprise before Erin craned her head to the side and saw a grinning gentleman, dressed in a bright yellow coat and baby-blue slacks. The standard uniform for an Amusement Park employee. Yet unlike some of the faceless denizens she had met so far in Wonderland, this particular person reeked of confidence and pride. But what was more startling to the young woman was how clear his facial features were from less than a few feet away.

"Ma'am?"

Erin almost jolted out of her thoughts and made a half-hearted attempt to give him a polite smile. "Y-Yes? May I help you, sir?" The faceless merely chuckled at her response before he extended a gloved palm to her.

"Well, seeing as you are by yourself at the moment, I was going to ask if you would be so kind as to take a walk with me? The Lullaby are quite concerned on the whereabouts of their precious little moon, and would like to ensure your safety is very much out of the Role Holders' greedy grasp."

Erin felt her blood turned cold as she now looked at the Amusement Park worker in alarm. _The Lullaby?_ Her mind immediately recalled the two assailants from the forest. _D-Does that mean he is with them…?!_

BANG.

The words that Erin had wanted to say died upon her lips and was replaced with a silent scream as the faceless fell onto the pavement, changing from a suspicious bloke to a bloodied heap of flesh within seconds.

The fourth Outsider looked around and saw Boris still standing at the vendor, except now there was a smoking hot-pink gun in his hand.

Erin bolted off of the bench and looked at the Cheshire Cat with a frightened expression, slowly taking a few steps backwards. "B-Boris?! What are you doing, carrying with a gun in a place like this?! And why the hell did you shoot him?!"

Instead of showing surprise, much less sympathy, Boris just shrugged his shoulders with a lazy grin. "You really need to relax, Erin. That guy was just a faceless. He'll be replaced pretty soon, so chill out and let's have some fun okay?"

 _Replace…? These people...are expendable?!_ Erin thought in horror until a rush of pain hammered against her mind like a rapidly beating drum, followed by fragmented images and voices from memories she began to recall with frightening clarity; In the not so distant past, she had committed her first murder in Wonderland.

 _ **BANG.**_

 _ **BANG.**_

 _ **"What have I done? What in the name of the Time Lords have I**_ done _ **?"**_

 _ **"That woman would have killed you easily. Even from where I was standing I could tell that you were her target. Not me. Not the March Hare. You. You raised that gun to defend yourself and that's all right. Even in her own world, the Lady says there is such a thing called 'self-defense'. You did kill someone, but it was to protect yourself. Never think otherwise."**_

 _ **"It still doesn't make it right!"**_

Just as soon as they had come, the images of the past ended. Erin felt sick to her stomach and began to shake yet she still dared to cast her gaze on the deceased faceless just a few feet away. There was a small musical symbol stamped on his right wrist, a clef note if she was not mistaken, and it vanished quickly as darkness gobbled him up. Only a clock remained in his stead, its tick slowly stopping without a care of what just happened seconds ago.

TI **C** k.

T _ **o**_ ck.

T **i** ck.

To _c_ k.

At that precise moment, in a single instant, another memory appeared in Erin's mind. There was a smartly dressed young man holding out an intricately wrapped basket to her with gloved hands. Even though his face remained blurry, the Outsider could have sworn that there was a smile. Yet...why did her heart race at this particular thought?

Approaching her with a smoking gun in his hand, the Cheshire Cat glanced worriedly at the wild expression in the Outsider's visible eyes before he took a tentative step toward her. "Uh, Erin? Are you okay, girlie? You're not mad at me, are ya?"

Erin did not say anything. Instead she turned around and began to walk away from Boris, gaining speed until she was nearly running, clumsily weaving through the crowd with fright.

"What the-?! ERIN, WAIT!"

The Outsider ignored her former companion's confused cries, entirely focused on placing distance between them as soon as possible when her orbs fell upon a nearby attraction.

Quickly stepping inside the House of Mirrors she wandered through its kaleidoscopic corridors, almost optimistic that there was an exit where it might lead her to an unexplored area of the Amusement Park. However, that thought quickly vanished when she crossed paths with its eccentric owner, Gowland, whom she had met earlier this time period.

His lone presence unlocked another unpleasant memory in Erin's mind. This time, she remembered being accidentally shot in the stomach by a stray bullet that had been fired by the Duke himself in a scuffle with Blood Dupre.

Gowland furrowed his brow in confusion at the Outsider before he took a small step towards her. "Um, Erin? Are you-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Startled, the Role Holder instinctively retraced himself from the young woman and watched her run past him at an alarming speed. As much as he wanted to chase after Erin and ask what in the world was wrong, his instincts were telling him that it was not the best course of action at the moment. Even when that same feeling was now exhibited a warning, that something terrible would happen in the foreseeable future.

* * *

I would like to thank _Momochan77_ , _Allora22701,_ _snm1_ for providing invaluable feedback on the previous chapter, and everyone else who has subscribed or favored this story! I apologize for the late update though; real life has gotten pretty busy in the last month for me, and I hope it will slow down a bit once September comes around so I can focus more on writing _Red Velvet_. For my readers who will be starting school within the next few weeks, I wish you the best of luck! Before I log off and get ready for a much-needed vacation in Orlando, here are a few words from my friend and co-author _chaos-dark-lord!_ :)

 **Chaos-dark-lord: Hello readers! Here we are with a new chapter made with effort and good coordination. I'm on vacation in Europe, so it's been a bit hard to get on a feasible time to work, but we managed and here is a new chapter. Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter Four

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story. But before we get this show on the road, here a few words from _chaos-dark-lord_! :)

 **Chaos-dark-lord : Hello everyone! I'm back from my vacation in Europe (food really is terrible XD) and as you can see we immediately got to work on this chapter. Enjoy!**

Gallifrey Stands!

* * *

Erin panted heavily as she placed a hand over her thumping heart, struggling simultaneously to catch her breath and scattered thoughts. _How could I have been so blind? How did I not realize just how dangerous these Role Holders are? Even when Elliot snuck books or sweets to me when I was imprisoned, gave me those smiles after I thanked him...I should have known. It was part of a facade!_ The fourth Outsider gritted her teeth in frustration. _What a fool I've been. A stupid, stupid little fool!_

But even when such memories would not leave her mind at this very second, Erin decided to not dwell on them further. Nothing good came from remembering them except sadness and anger, especially against herself because she had started trust the March Hare. But more importantly, she needed to figure out where she had run off to after escaping the Amusement Park.

Inhaling a deep breath, the young woman looked up from the ground and saw that she was standing in an alley near a busy outdoor market. It was not anywhere near the Hatters' turf, yet definitely in someone else's territory; deep in her bones, she knew this particular area, however insignificant it was but she needed to know where here was. In her current situation, any information would do. And the best place to start were the street signs.

Erin's brow furrowed in confusion as she blinked at a street sign. _Silver Nectar Bayou? That's an unusual name to an avenue. But why...does it sound so familiar?_ The foreigner flinched when a small wave of pain washed over her mind, as if a new memory was about to come back. It was not as intense prior to the incident at the Amusement Park, but enough to give her a small migraine. The young woman sighed heavily, and then walked out into the street and around a hidden corner. As much as she would to gain more insight on this recent fragmented memory, it was not worth the pain; for now, at least.

Just when her exhausted little grey cells were about to overwork themselves again, an obnoxious and male voice cheerfully called out to Erin.

"Well, there's a face I haven't seen in a long time~!"

The foreigner turned around and felt her blood run cold at the sight of a brown-haired man wearing a blood-red coat, standing less than twenty feet away from her. It was the damned knave that attacked Elliot in the forest. Ace. Or at least that was what the March Hare referred to him before he opened fire.

Thankfully, at the moment the man in question did not seem too interested in unsheathing the broadsword at his side. Instead, the bloke's attention was solely on a navy-blue haired stranger wiggling in his grasp with a stoned, bright-red face. Less than a second later the knave was on the ground face-first and laughing merrily.

"Oh, you know you loved it, Julius~! You always do~!"

"Silence, you damned fool!"

Erin stared at their interaction in disbelief, remembering to close her gaping mouth while the man - Julius - rearranged his clothing back to propriety yet still kept the wrench within sight. _Are...these Role Holders romantically involved with each other? I did not think that would be possible, but it seems that I have underestimated the amount of loopholes in this world._

"Oh~? Did you enjoy the show~?" A voice purred in her ear. The fourth Outsider jumped and turned to see that the garnet-eyed Role Holder was impossibly standing right next to her. _H-How did he-?!_ "Y-You're that man from before! In the forest!" Erin exclaimed, trying not to blush from embarrassment and the realization that she possibly interrupted an intimate moment.

"Correct~!" The knave then bowed, in an eccentric and knightly manner. "My name is Sir Ace of Heart Castle. And the man you have just met is my best friend and dearest beloved, the Clockmaker Julius Monrey~! My future... "

WHACK.

"Ow~! Julius, why must you hurt me so? Doesn't this count as domestic violence~?" Ace whined, rubbing his sore head from the wrath of Julius' wrench.

The recently introduced Role Holder scoffed. "Hardly. It's sexual assault in the first degree."

"But there's the old saying 'love hurts', darling~! Nonetheless, I'll take it under consideration when you want to be on top and get rough me~!" Ace responded with a hearty laugh.

Julius slapped a hand over his forehead before turning around to discover that the foreigner was staring at them with wide, bright green orbs. He politely inclined his head to Erin. "I sincerely apologize for this man's idiotic behavior."

Without warning another memory returned to the befuddled young woman. This was the second time that she had met this particular Role Holder. The first had been at the Hatters' disastrous Halloween party during April Season. The two of them accidentally bumped shoulders at the refreshment table, falling to a light conversation on science until Erin excused herself to use the restroom. During that particular time, however, the Clockmaster had suspected that she was involved with the bizarre spree of suicides that occurred in town; while murder had become commonplace in this dimension, the disappearance of the denizen's clocks as soon as they met their demise rattled Julius, who was also known by for being the residential mortician. And due to his association with Julius, Ace too had gotten involved in the issue.

"...Thank you?" Erin replied dumbly.

Ace looked at the two of them and smiled charmingly, putting both of his arms around their shoulders. "As an apology for my uncouth behavior, why don't you come with us to the concert hall Erin? Julius and I were going there to see a show, but it turns that I have an extra ticket~."

"Um, it's all right I'll just take my leave-"

"Your request has been denied~! Let's follow the yellow brick road to the wonderful wonders of horrid acting and cheesy scripts~!" The garnet-eyed knave sang, dragging them down the road before the fourth Outsider could say another word. Erin glanced at the grumpy gentleman who was resignedly walking alongside her.

"Is he always like this?"

"You have no idea. "

xRVx

When they arrived at the Golden Jubilee Hall, their tickets admitted them to a private box on the second floor. Julius sat in the middle while Erin sat on his left, and Ace on his right. The Clockmaker tried to pay attention to the stage when the play started but the knave's wandering hands made it very difficult to do so. As soon as the first intermission was announced, the navy-blue haired gentleman scurried out as quickly as he could with a dark red hue on his cheeks.

But when Julius' tall frame was out of sight and hearing range, Ace immediately pulled the college graduate to an unsettlingly conversation about her current situation.

"I can't imagine what it'd be like to lose your memories, Erin~! That must be awful~." The corners of his mouth then curled to a smirk. "If I were you, I would pick up the pace and get them back as soon you can~. There's a cute little doggie who's been waiting a long time to play with you, and his owner has a leash on me too~!"

When Erin was about to ask what the knave meant, Ace's attention immediately averted back to the stage as Julius came back, the knave immediately tried to pull the Clockmaker into his lap, but was thwarted by a wrench while the play resumed.

Realizing that Ace was not going to answer her questions anytime soon - or possibly ever since he is more focused on ravishing his partner in a public area - , Erin focused on the play.

Surprisingly, The Woman From Another World turned all right in Erin's opinion, save for its ending. The story was about, as implied by the title, an Outsider named Elise; she yearned for love after following a white rabbit to Wonderland, and struck a courtship with Claude, a Role Holder who was mocked by the others for dancing the Lobster Quadrille from morning until tea-time. However, on the night of a grand ball at his estate, the Role Holder planned to ask Elise to marry him. Instead of receiving an answer, his beloved lady died in his arms after she drank from a poisoned cup, an object that was meant for Claude by his long-time enemy, a fellow Role Holder.

Desiring vengeance for Elise, he tracked down the culprit and killed him, along with anyone else within the vicinity. Once he had committed this transgression against the Game, the grief-stricken baron walked to the tree that Elise loved dearly and hung himself from one of its branches.

Definitely a stale ending. More so because the script was supposed to be based on real life events that occurred in Wonderland. But as she looked around the concert hall to see and hear the audience fervently praise The Woman From Another World, Erin raised an eyebrow. Whoever constructed the script knew what drew the denizens of Wonderland to the box office, a stark contrast to the half-hearted screenwriting back in her old world.

When the velvet curtains fell upon stage and everyone began to leave, Ace went ahead of Julius and Erin to get some drinks. As they pushed their way to the exit, the college graduate ended up being separated from the Clockmaker. Erin used it as an opportunity to weave through the faceless and permanently leave their company.

Despite the fact that neither of them had hurt her in any manner through the entire performance, the fourth Outsider could not bring herself to trust the Role Holders as she had almost did with the Cheshire Cat. For all Erin knew, Julius and Ace could be aware that she has lost her memories and twist the truth for their own personal gain. And she would not allow herself to be taken advantage of like that. Erin needed to know what really happened after April Season had arrived in the wonderful wonder world; to do so, she had to continue collecting fragments that seem to be obtained after she had met someone or visited a place.

Just when her left palm pushed the glass French door open to depart from the theater, a faceless woman dressed in an usher's red uniform appeared on her right side and placed two items in her other hand. A piece of paper with an address written down, and a small golden key stamped with the insignia of a roaring lion.

"Courtesy of your benefactor, ma'am. Have a wonderful day!" The usher quickly departed as she appeared, leaving Erin a little shocked. When she averted her gaze to the key, a name in her subconscious suddenly left her lips before the Outsider could stop herself.

"...Leo?"

 _B-BMP._

Her heart raced for some reason. What did it mean? Just as she was about ponder this new clue further, another memory emerged. They were just words, her own, yet for some reason they were familiar, in an annoying manner.

 _ **"Welcome to the Black Forest Bookstore, how may I help you today?"**_

xRVx

Following the address in the note, it turned out that the key led Erin to a high class apartment complex with a security system equivalent to a fortress, and for some reason, the young woman's feet guided her automatically to the entrance. When she saw two armed blokes standing on either side of an iron gate, she thought they would turn her away. Instead, they heartily welcomed the Outsider.

"Welcome back, Miss Oswald! Do you still have your key? Good, good! Go right on in!" One faceless guard exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"You've been gone a long while, ma'am. Don't worry, the housekeepers have made sure to keep the place nice and clean for your return." The other included, pointing to the snow-white building. "Your room's on the fifth floor, number 513 if you forgot. Have a good night!"

Stunned at their courtesy, Erin wished them a pleasant evening then went inside to follow their instructions, oblivious that they somehow knew she did not remember which was her own apartment. When she unlocked the last door on the left, a sudden sense of welcoming relief flooded her weary bones once the young woman turned a few lights on.

The flat looked around to be over two-thousand square feet, its interior design combined modern minimalist designs with rustic elements from the Colonial Spanish architecture of South and Central America. The fluorescent beams bounced off brightly painted Talavera tile flooring and the burnished cherry electric fireplace, adding a warm feeling to the place. Yet when she found a four poster bedroom that boasted an impressive shelf of books, Erin fell onto the satin comforter and passed out without taking off her shoes with the cozy sensation of finally being home.

After sleeping for almost ten time changes, Erin finally left the apartment complex, determined to continue her exploration of the town in search for more memories to piece back her own past. The last fragment she had received dictated an establishment called The Black Forest Bookstore. If she found this place, then she might fill out more of the missing blanks in her mind.

Erin's feet almost seemed to be on auto-pilot, taking her along the streets and around a corner at the intersection of Cloud Stead and Main Street. Despite the fact that she did not remember walking this way, her body did and within fifteen minutes the Outsider arrived at the destination. The Black Forest Bookstore.

Upon pulling the wooden door open and stepping inside the air-conditioned facility, Erin was immediately greeted by a perky young girl with short green hair.

"Hello, and welcome to The Black Forest Bookstore, how may I help you today? E-Erin? Is that you?! HEY EVERYONE, ERIN IS BACK!"

As if on cue, a myriad of faceless workers that seemed be too large for a bookstore regardless on how large it was, assembled to the front entrance and wholeheartedly welcomed the stunned Outsider with either bone-crushing hugs or wet kisses on the cheek. This charade last five almost five minutes until a stout man in a three-piece black suit interfered with an amused smirk.

"All right, all right, that's enough. I know we're very happy to see that one of our best workers has returned, but we can't neglect our customers. Duccio, finish up the shipping log and greet on the floor. Mario, have Luigi take over the register and come with me to the office. Oh, and bring Lucrezia too. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Amadore~!"

"You got it, boss~!"

"Good, back to your stations! If anyone needs help or has questions, go to Rodrigo." The brown-haired faceless then turned to Erin. "Now that things have settled down, why don't the two of us do a little catching up in my office, okay?" Seeing the anxious expression on her pale face he added. Don't worry, little moon, you're not in any trouble whatsoever. Relax."

Confused, and a little embarrassed, Erin followed Mr. Amadore to the back of store with three other associates to a dimly-lit office. A large tapestry portraying an armored woman stood behind Mr. Amadore's wooden desk with an impassive expression. After the owner settled into his chair and had an adjacent one pulled up for the foreigner by a young man with ginger colored hair, Mario, Mr. Amadore asked a buxom blonde to close the door.

"Thank you, Lucrezia." Mr. Amadore said, and then turned his attention to Erin, a warm smile stretched across his mouth. "It's good to see you again, Erin. I'm sorry if the staff startled you with their...enthusiasm. We've all missed you quite terribly since your unexpected absence fifty time changes ago. Much more so after the unfortunate events that occurred at the Spring Festival. No one could even get close to contacting you."

Erin fidgeted in her seat slightly as she recalled why exactly she had been gone from the bookstore for such a long period of time. From little she could recall from her fragmented memories, there had been a festival where death was celebrated as a part of life. The next thing she remembered after that, was waking up in a cell beneath the Hatter Mansion.

"Well, thanks for seeing me on such notice sir. I did not realize that I haven't been here for a while. If I may ask, why did that girl know my name? And why was everyone so happy to see me?"

Mr. Amadore looked surprise at her answer before he frowned sadly "You truly don't know? I guess the rumors about your memory loss are true." He scratched his head.

"Erin, you're one of my best workers! You've been working at this shop for almost a hundred time changes, and at the recommendation of the Berceuse nonetheless! Thankfully she had the kindness to inform me about your accident, so I was at least able to let the others know why such a punctual, hard-working employee has not been showing up to her shifts all of a sudden!"

The college graduate looked even more confused. "The _who_?"

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room for a few seconds, as if some blasphemy had been said, till Lucrezia spoke up with a reassuring smile and placing her hand on the foreigner's shoulder, squeezing it softly."Don't worry, Erin. All of your memories will come back very soon."

Mr. Amadore changed the subject fast. "Erin, have you gone to your apartment yet?"

The Outsider nodded. "I did, and the place looks good as new, as if I had never left. But why do I still have it after being gone for so long, especially when the landlord could have easily found a new tenant?"

Mr. Amadore smiled. "That's because the apartment and its rent are paid by your services to the Lullaby. You must have had put in more than enough money to cover the utilities till now. But if I were you, I would get a job right away to pay off any debt you might have also due to your absence."

Erin frowned in contemplation. "If I do have debt, then perhaps it would be easier to be paid off with a job that has a higher salary."

Mr. Amadore nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. "I would love to have you here at the bookstore or at the printing press for Zarathustra editions again, but there are more high paying jobs offered by other companies supported by the Lullaby. Places where your talents and knowledge could be put to a better use."

"Then I suppose I will have to do that. May I ask if you know any establishments that are currenting hiring, Mr. Amadore?" Erin asked a bit nervously.

The stout faceless tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully for a less than a few seconds, but the person who came up with a solution was none other than Rodrigo.

"Sir, I heard that the museum and art gallery in this country have expanded greatly in the last twenty time changes. There will be an increase for funding sales. Giovanni has been a little-short handed recently when it comes to finding workers. He is in dire need of curators that are well versed in the art from the Berceuse's world, and people who can professionally handle the gallery's pieces and talk about them to guests without being too forward."

Mr. Amadore smiled approvingly at his employee. "Capital idea!" He pulled out a pen and paper, quickly writing down a letter of recommendation before he handed it to Erin. The owner made a small noise till he dug in his desk and gave the college graduate a pink booklet titled _Beauty And The Bandersnatch_.

"Here you go, Erin. There's an address inside this book that'll guide you to the Looking Glass Gallery. You are more than welcome to work here again if you'd like, or until you find a new job that you like. But at least go see the manager, Giovanni Bianchi, when you can okay?"

"I will probably go see him right away, sir. I have time." Erin replied as she stood up with the items in her hand. "Thank you very much for seeing me."

Mr. Amadore rose from her desk and jovially shook her hand. "My pleasure, Erin. I'll go ahead and give Giovanni a call to have him expect you at his doorstep in the next time change. Mario, show Erin the way out will you? She might not remember it."

"Yes, sir~!"

Mario led Erin out of the office and directly to a dead end wall where a painting of the same woman that Erin had seen in the background of Mr. Amadore's office covered the entire wall. The faceless started at it with a longing expression before placing a hand under the bottom of the portrait to press a hidden button. The wall shook once, then twice till a tunnel appeared before them. Mario then turned to the astonished Outsider with a smile. "Now follow my steps, Erin. We updated the traps, so please move where I do."

The college graduate nodded and followed Mario through the tunnel with glowing strings of fluorescent bulbs as their only source of light. The tunnel extended into various branches, going up and down and to areas that...were questionable. But as this journey continued, Erin felt a small sting of pain in the back of her mind. Another memory she had forgotten was being restored. This was not the first time she had traveled through a tunnel system like this one.

A long time ago and her better judgement, Erin had accepted a lunch invitation from Elliot at his favorite vegetarian pub when a bomb decided to go off somewhere nearby. She didn't know where it exactly detonated, but it was enough to shatter a few windows and have the March Hare leave her the establishment with a gun in his hand. When things began to get dicey, a faceless waiter gave the young woman a torn piece of paper before pushing her under a secret passageway beneath the bar to send Erin to safety.

"We're here, Erin~!"

Mario's voice brought Erin back from her shambled thoughts and onto a wall in front of them. The faceless then searched around the adjacent area until his hand was coiled a stone wedged between cracks. Pushing it in further, the wall suddenly rumbled and opened, revealing the exit of an alleyway.

"Alright, this is the closest we can get to the Looking Glass Gallery without raising too much suspicion. Once you leave the alleyway, make a right and keep going straight. Okay~?"

Erin nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mario. Be safe on the way back."

The bloke responded with a sunny grin. "I will. Take care of yourself, little moon. We are happy to have you back~!" Once Erin had safely vacated the tunnel, Mario disappeared from her sight with no trace of a secret entrance being there whatsoever. She marched out of the alleyway and down the street with a quiet determination in her bright green eyes.

After being imprisoned in a cage for so long, it was time for Erin to start life in Wonderland anew, without the constant interference of Role Holders.

* * *

I would like to thank _Momochan77_ , _Guest_ , _Allora22701_ and _snm1_ for taking the time out of their busy schedule to read and provide feedback! I hope everyone has so far had a smooth start to the new school year and wish wholeheartedly on their studies. I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter and have a great weekend! :)


	5. Chapter Five

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

Gallifrey Stands!

* * *

When Erin arrived at the Looking Glass Gallery within an evening time change, she was immediately brought to the owner's office for an interview, as he had been expecting her arrival. After exchanging a few words and scanning the letter's contents, Erin was immediately hired by Giovanni Bianchi as an 'other world' curator.

In accordance to the standard labor protocol of the Lullaby, the fourth Outsider was subjected to a training segment and two-part exam that lasted almost twenty time changes, especially with now scheduled classes and lessons. On a positive note she had practically no restrictions, with the exception of a few regarding her new job; first there were the unfulfilled requirements needed to work at the museum as an official full-time employee, and wear the standard uniform: a Dalmatian printed blouse, an obsidian suit jacket with the optional matching pencil skirt or a pair of slacks. Erin selected the latter with pair of one-inch heels. The assembly of this uniform was tailored specially for her and supervised by Giovanni himself.

Once the museum's lead manager - a faceless gentleman named Figaro - informed the satisfactory progress Erin has made under his supervision to Giovanni, the owner announced at a staff meeting that their newest worker would be hosting an upcoming exhibit in ten time changes. In contrast to the galleries that have been done since its opening, this one would be smaller and cater to both the public and private audience. The latter were firm supporters of the Berceuse and her organization that could potentially invest heavy amounts in the 'Hadron Fund For Arts And Sciences', and they would love to converse with an expert on 'the other world'.

More importantly, the funds from all of artwork that would be on display and for sale would serve as a test to the distribution of the remodeled and expanded east wing in the museum, especially how people moved around as well as how items are transported to the newly constructed area. The funds would also serve as a collection to go to the Hadron Arts and Science Association. Therefore Erin's duties were clear: including engaging in conversations with the guests through a carefully arranged and rotating schedule, she was also in charge of examining the entries, both from the VIP section and from a smaller, local gallery. The young woman had to make sure to inspire the public on the fund's values if it was possible; or if needed, she could also strike a deal on the pieces that the guests were interested in or direct the possible purchase to the sales manager.

That was a lot of pressure to shoulder for a new employee, though Giovanni had faith in Erin, the college graduate did not exactly share the same sentiment, and chose to bring a good luck charm in the form of two tickets from the first time she visited The Looking Glass Gallery. She could vaguely remember playing with painted kittens at the time, but when Erin's mind recalled that particular memory, a warm and pleasant feeling washed over her chest. Yet something in the back of her mind nagged Erin. Had she been by herself that time, or was someone else there with her?

xRVx

While the cobblestoned streets of Wonderland bustled with activity, under its surface and through a seemingly endless web of secret corridors, the knave of Heart Castle silently traveled until the faceless guide at his side led him to a pair of magnanimous, bone white doors that contrasted with the darkness surrounding Ace.

The well-built knave nonchalantly walked passed his escort and pushed the entrance open. A bright light enveloped the underground room, revealing an interior that almost looked like a gym. Laying on the wooden floor was a large, blue-eyed canine-like creature with spiked silver fur; its tail wagged rapidly as a beautiful young woman, dressed from head to toe in the deepest shade of black, rubbed the animal's bare belly with an impassive expression while mumbling some melody.

A sardonic smirk tugged the corners of Ace's mouth as he observed the drooling beast while casually leaning against the doorway. "So this is what you do when I'm not around, my dear Bandersnatch~? What a naughty boy~."

"Naughy? Perhaps. But it's clear that a mere dog like you is only jealous." The Frumious Beast looked over at the Role Holder and smirked. "The real start of the Game is petting me while you won't get the same treatment, not even by the mortician."

The woman in the room, Lady Aria Hadron Scherzi, Berceuse of the Lullaby, otherwise under the monikers as 'Game Changer' and the 'Foreigner Mercenary', did not bother to say anything as an inky tendril squirmed in the air for a split second until it started to scratch the Bandersnatch behind its equally furry, pierced ears.

Ace blinked owlishly at the animal with slightly wide garnet orbs until a dark grin stretched across his face, teasingly unsheathing the broadsword that rested at his hip.

"Oh~? Then how would you like to be sliced? Halve slices or quarter pieces~? I don't know how much the meat of a Bandersnatch is worth on the black market these days. Hopefully it will be enough to buy Julius an engagement ring. Or at least to prepare a nice stew for him~! Then again, the pelt of a Frumious Beast might even be better~! I never know when he may need a new coat~!"

The Bandersnatch sniggered. "You aren't fast enough to catch a genuine Bandersnatch and your weapon is not strong enough to cut through my fur. Besides the poison in my claws would end your life in the blink of an eye." The beast then released a loud yawn.

"However, it isn't even worth the effort," He shrugged and pawed at the air, followed by his back leg kicking from the enjoyable scratching he was receiving. "The Clockmaker is part of the Game too, but your part in all of this is, shall we say, is almost equal to a dog of the lowest pedigree? You're just a pawn like everyone else. A greedy little mutt who wants to munch on the foreigner's bones until there is nothing left."

Ace's smile widened. "Oh, really? Then how about we find out and see who is the better dog? Me? Or you~?" The Role Holder would have instantly attacked the Frumious Beast, if the darkness underneath his feet did not rise up and coil around his sword with swirling tentacles that shoot upwards around his neck and formed a leather collar over it. Before Ace could blink he was restrained and forced to yield by the darkness. He was not the only one who was stopped though; at the same time, those same tendrils were covering the Bandersnatch's mouth, effectively shutting the animal up.

A disembodied and digital voice emitting from the neck speakers on the woman's attire soon broke the tense silence. "Knave of Hearts, Julius Monrey made a deal with me. If your lover does not comply with my terms, then the contract we have is null and void, but not so the other one made from even before I was gone. You also made a deal with me, so you are as much of a leashed dog as the Clockmaker; the only difference is that you willingly put that collar on yourself." To emphasize her point, Ace's collar was soon decorated with a silver tag, courtesy of the darkness around his neck. "So please shut up and listen. I'm not in the mood to repeat the details of a mission twice."

The shadowy tendrils disappeared from the two men as quickly as they appeared, returning to the darkness beneath their feet on the floor. Aria then stood up and raised her right forearm, activating a projector inside the steel gauntlet when a 3D map of Wonderland appeared on the wall behind her subordinates. Although she still wore an impassive expression, her olive green eyes shined with disdain as Aria blinked at the knave before turning her attention towards the screen.

"Our main objective is to open up the portal again, permanently, and make it large enough to connect to a new train line to the Country of Diamond instead of our current intermittent connection. We need land where a track can be built. Resources have detected a decent amount of acres around the outskirts of the Amusement Park, approximately thirty miles from Gowland's territory. Your job is to make sure it's deserted and not used by anyone else so that the Lullaby's allies can acquire it. Same goes for the land near it. Use any means necessary to ensure a bad reputation, enough to prevent the other Role Holders from getting their filthy hands on it, much less an iota of interest. Do I make myself clear?"

Ace yawned loudly. "If that's all I have to do, then why did you have me come all the way here from the Clock Tower~?"

"It's your fault for not getting the pamphlet when you had a chance to at the theater." Aria deadpanned. "Instead, you were too busy trying to seduce the Clockmaker that your orders slipped away and were lost."

Ace raised a brow at the mercenary. "A pamphlet? I don't recall there was even one passed out~."

"Just do your job and get the fuck out so I can smoke a cigar and have some cognac. Dealing with you sets me in bad mood." Aria replied.

"Yes, like a good little puppy that needs proper training lest he'll be sent to obedience school for further discipline." The Bandersnatch mocked with a sickeningly sweet smile. But the expression was immediately wiped from his face at the Berceuse's response.

"Do you think I've been giving you _mana_ through the petting just because I felt like it? This is a two-person job, Bandy. You're going with him. Do what you need to do and leave here in five minutes. The clock is ticking, gentleman…. Or should I say puppies? Start moving."

xRVx

Within the short time she has lived in Wonderland, Erin has seen more than a few unusual things that defied common sense. Time randomly changed without any warning, and some of these faceless denizens had animal characteristics. But nothing prepared the college graduate for this. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her bright green orbs stared at the painting in front of her.

Her schedule had recently been shifted from the public gallery to the private one. And while she politely conversed with each guest and even guided a few potential buyers to the sales manager, Erin had been stunned to see the binary theme in the VIP hall: Aria Hadron Scherzi, the woman portrayed in the most fatuous art pieces, and herself, dressed in little to no clothing with symbolism that bounced between the sun, an entire dark night sky covered with circuitry lines, and a small but noticeable moon.

The artwork that had Erin's attention was Early Renaissance, similar to Sandro Botticelli's style and other painters Erin had studied in her old world at college; the fourth Outsider was the subject, naked with her hands cupping a glowing white orb while she stared at the audience with a grin that resembled the Mona Lisa. To say the least, Erin was thoroughly embarrassed. It would not surprise the college graduate if someone saw her right now and commented that her face resembled a ripe tomato.

Moving out of the private gallery, Erin headed back towards the exposition where most of the guests meandered, muttering softly to each other over beverages or other refreshments offered by black-clad servers. But en route to that particular section Carlo, a suave faceless who was talented in handing out compliments as he brought in sales to the establishment, approached her co-worker in the VIP hall with a grim expression.

"Miss Oswald, Elliot March and the first Outsider Alice Liddell have come to visit the museum. Security spotted them walking around the public gallery and the Role Holder expressed interest in purchasing a painting of you to the sales manager. What's our next move?"

Erin felt her heart plummet to the bottom of her stomach. "Elliot is here? And h-he saw one of the paintings of me?!" The fourth Outsider hissed, but not loud enough to attract nearby visitors. Carlo made an inquiry through his button transmitter and with a nod of his head confirmed it. "He just bought a painting." At that moment, there was only one word Erin could accurately describe this ghastly situation.

"Shit!"

In accordance to her job description as the lead curator she had to attend all of the guests who enter the facility, even if they were Role Holders. Regardless of that fact that one of them has already tried to kill her.

* * *

I would like to thank _Allora22701_ , _snm1_ , and _Momochan77_ for providing invaluable feedback as well as everyone who has taken the time to read this chapter! Hope everyone will enjoy their upcoming Labor Day weekend! :)


	6. Chapter Six

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

After inhaling a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves, Erin informed Carlo what their next move was. "Let Giovanni know what's happening. For now, we'll have the security to keep a closer eye on Elliot and Alice, but don't make it too obvious. The March Hare did not survive this long in Wonderland without being paranoid." The fourth Outsider ran a hand through her hair. "And if something _does_ happen-"

The faceless smiled reassuringly. "You don't need to worry about that. The staff took the liberty of preparing an escape route when things around here get dicey. I'll head out now, and be back here in a few time changes. Think you can cover the gallery until then?"

Erin nodded. Patting her shoulder lightly, Carlo turned around and walked out of the VIP room without as much as a trace. The young woman almost jumped a few feet in the air when someone called out her name; wide green eyes swiveled to the source and saw a stout gentleman - a well-known benefactor of the museum and potential client - staring at her with a small frown. "Is everything alright, my dear? I daresay you look a little pale."

Although the anxiety still bubbled in the pit of her stomach Erin tried to hide it with a small, business-like grin. "I'm fine, sir. I understand that you are interested in the medium that was used for the painting you are interested in, _Electric Witch,_ is that right?"

When the well-dressed faceless responded with a hearty laugh, she discreetly diverted his interest to the piece of art that was fairly certain to be sold at the end of the time change. Once their ten-minute conversation ended a very pleasant note and directions to find the sales manager, Erin resumed her walk around the gallery. _Why? Why of all places that could possibly provide entertainment for them, did Elliot and Miss Liddell decide to come here? I know the advertising team has been putting in a lot of work to spread the word about our new exhibit since it's the largest one so far, so maybe either of them heard about it while they were in town? And from what I've heard from the staff, apparently the Hatters' second-in-command doesn't venture to new places unless it involves carrot cuisine or business._

The fourth Outsider curled a finger under her chin, a contemplative expression etched her face. _But the more I think about it,_ _Giovanni is being especially daring to display paintings of the Berceuse in both the public and private galleries. He knows that by doing so, both denizens and Role Holders could see the reproduced art pieces from the other world themselves, all of which have their terrenial god in all of them. It's almost like putting up a sign that says 'Hello, I'm a direct link to the organization that is currently kicking role holders collective arses for territory and power'._ Erin's brow furrowed slightly. _But is that really the_ _only method behind Giovanni's madness? Or is there some objective involved?_ She pondered this conclusion for a few seconds until the college graduate finally shrugged her shoulders.

 _Regardless of what I might think, Giovanni would not have done this exhibit if he didn't realize what he was getting into in the first place. It might have even been an order from the Berceuse herself. And this place is like a fortress: nothing comes in or leaves without someone knowing. The security and technology in here is far more advanced than what the people of this dimension or even I are used to._ Satisfied with such knowledge, Erin continued to mingle with the guests, exchanging polite business conversation over refreshments.

xRVx

Elliot snuck a glance at the blonde-haired teenager by his side and sheepishly grinned at her enthusiasm. While he definitely did not expect to see Alice while he scouted the area surrounding the Looking Glass Gallery, the March Hare was actually glad she could be here; an Outsider was unique to Wonderland, providing enough distraction from the security while he slipped away from the painted puppies exhibit and purchased a painting of Erin at the gift shop, one that he was pleasantly surprised to see was for sale.

After Blood had given him another chance to find and coax Erin back to the Hatters, Elliot immediately went to work. He did not have that much luck for the first seven time changes searching around the town with his cohorts, collecting information that turned out to be just gossip, rumors that were so well placed that he couldn't help but think it wasn't pure coincidence. Therefore Elliot decided to take the investigation a step further, the March Hare hired some faceless brokers who specialized in getting what he needed. Their services did not come cheap, though the product he received from them was worth it. Yet curiously, some of them dropped out their assignments midway and returned his money. All except for three.

This place, according to them, had to be the new residence for one Erin Oswald. The young woman could be seen entering and leaving the building every fifteen to twenty time changes, yet rarely seen without a faceless co-worker at her side.

This information gave Elliot more than enough motivation to sneak into the museum during their opening time change, survey the area for a bit while trying to keep a low profile. He noticed, while vaguely admiring the artwork, that there was a door leading to a private gallery but was guarded by two or three faceless staff members.

Once he had made this discovery and backtracked his steps to the main lobby, Elliot stumbled upon Alice at the ticket booth before he casually mentioned that the place just expanded, and was worth taking a look around. His comment worked its magic on Alice's indecision and promised to meet each other for the next showing. It gave Elliot an excuse to come back to the establishment without raising too much suspicion.

However, in the present time change he saw that despite all of the aimless roaming, that he would not get any further with his scouting than where he was now. That was when Elliot decided that it would be better to call it a day and wait to talk to Erin later. He and Alice soon went their separate ways after exiting the museum; the first Outsider went back to the Hatter Mansion, while the March Hare hung around a pub across the street while keeping an eye on the Looking Glass Gallery.

After five tall glasses of carrot juice and an appetizer with carrot sticks, Elliot finally saw Erin leave the museum and she was alone this time. He could not let this opportunity slip, when the woman he had been trying to find was at last within reach.

He paid the bill and left, weaving through the meandering hordes of faceless denizens as Erin walked towards a quieter area hidden in the bustling town.

He thought his cover had remained safe, until Erin suddenly turned around at a corner street and faced him with a cautious, even fearful stare. His purple orbs looked at the twitching hand hovering her left thigh and felt his clock sink in sadness.

Erin was armed. With a gun.

Just as she was about to pull out her hidden weapon, Elliot immediately raised his hands in self-defense with drooping ears. "E-Erin, wait! I just want to talk. Hear me out, please!"

The Outsider's immediate response was an icy hiss. "Before or after you try to kill me again?"

Elliot felt his ears flatten even more against his head as the steady ticking inside his clock grew heavier. It looks like Erin had not forgotten his treatment towards her, and he had forgotten that an Outsider always took things too seriously, especially when the matter revolved around violence. But then again, who could have possibly forgotten their own executioner?

Erin remained tense, before a low-frequency signal began to buzz consistently from the tiny black pearl carefully hidden in her ear. The corner of her bright green orbs suddenly twitched a second later; barely moving up, then from side to side. Such an action would go unnoticed by almost anyone, with the exception of an extremely observant dog with equally good ears, and Elliot happened to be that. He was the Hatters' Bloodhound.

The tiny object in Erin's ear, which he almost did not see due to the poor lighting in the streets, was a comm piece. By far it was the smallest one he had ever seen or heard of its production in Wonderland's black markets. Furthermore, and although he did not understand why there was buzzing coming from it, Erin's stiffened posture relaxed as she looked around the area. That was when his blood began to chill.

Someone was on the rooftops with their gun aimed at him. More likely far more than ever; Erin was a smart girl and knew he was dangerous. She wouldn't relax unless there was a force strong enough to bring him down, to pull the trigger if he did something rash towards her. The March Hare inhaled a deep breath and looked at the foreigner straight in the eye, addressing in a manner as if he had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.

"Erin...I'm sorry that I've scared you, but more so about...what I almost did in the forest. Believe me, taking your life is the last thing I ever want to do."

Erin kept her angered gaze on him. "Bullocks. The Hatter ran out of patience when you were unable to give him what he wanted and decided that killing me would tie up all of the loose ends. And you went along with it willingly, while still being aware of my amnesiac condition."

The orange-haired Role Holder winced. _Note to self: Outsiders can hold a grudge for very long periods of time, even when they admit it doesn't bother them. Case in point._ Nonetheless, Elliot persisted and continued their one-sided conversation.

"Erin," Elliot bit his lip, realizing he had not actually planned this far ahead when he decided to confront the young woman. "I'm really sorry, I really am. I'm not that bad of a guy and things aren't how you think they are -" His eyes widened as Erin's hand slowly rose from her left thigh and rose along with her right one, curled around a silver gun in the dimly-lit avenue. A second later Elliot's ear picked a subtle yet distinctive sound.

CLICK.

The college graduate removed the safety mechanism of her pistol without blinking.

"Get to the point Elliot March, or so help me I will knock your bloody arse out, regardless that you are someone with duties in Wonderland. And I will certainly not have a change of heart after listening to your pitiable excuses. I know what exactly you are. A thug. Nothing else matters except Blood's satisfaction and what you get in return for a job well done."

Regardless on how accurate Erin's response was in regard to his occupation, her words were like a rapier; sharp, merciless, and accurately hit vital areas in Elliot's clock. She knew and understood him, simple as that. "Yeah, I might be a thug but it doesn't change the guilt I still feel. Even now, I want to make things right between us. Let me take you somewhere, and from there you can decide if you accept my apology or not. Pick the place, date, and time. I'll be there."

Erin scoffed. "And how do I know that this is not some grand scheme to catch me off guard and haul me back to that cell in the basement? Or better yet, finish me off an overdue execution with plenty of witnesses to see it happen, your testimony included."

"Because you decide all of those details, and you can point a gun at me for as long as you want." Elliot dropped his gaze to the ground, his ears pressed even further against either side of his head. "If I wanted to kill or kidnap you, I could have already tried that when I was following you. And for the record, my testimony would be irrelevant; unlike a faceless or myself, a foreigner does not turn into a clock after they die. If anything, I could just carry your body and toss it in a busy place while claiming that I did it. But I don't want that to happen to you, and I would most likely kill whoever did such a terrible thing."

A heavy silence fell upon the two for a few moments until a new buzz happened in her ear before Erin slowly lowered the pistol. "There's a cafe that is located three blocks from the Looking Glass Gallery. It is called _Black Swan_. Meet me at the front door in ten time changes. If you try anything funny or fail to arrive at this rendezvous then you will lose what little trust I have left in your half-baked honesty."

Elliot agreed to the Outsider's terms with a curt nod, and then slowly walked away from Erin. Despite being in such a precarious situation just moments ago, a small smile was stretched across his face.

He had a chance to win Erin's heart.

xRVx

The following evening time change when she returned home, Erin nearly collapsed in her sleeping quarters. Truly, what in the world was she thinking, to accept an invitation to dine with the March Hare? However, if Giovanni had not suggested it as an opportunity to gather new information on the Hatters through the comm, she would have turn it down in a heartbeat. The fourth Outsider sighed heavily, bright green orbs staring up at the ceiling. _How do I get myself into these things?_

Just as she was about to fall into a light sleep, there was a knock at the front door. Erin's relaxed form grew tense, alert to her surroundings. Who in the world could be here, without been cleared by security? Erin slowly rose up from the four-poster bed and retrieved the silver gun from her nightstand before she walked to the door, the weapon hidden behind her back.

Twisting the bolt to the left side with a spare hand, Erin opened the door just a few inches to see who was the mysterious visitor. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sight of a navy-haired gentleman with cobalt blue eyes, and she pulled it open fully.

"Julius? What are you doing here?"

The Role Holder seemed unsure to answer for a brief second, but did so with reluctance. "I ask for an audience with her. I know you can take me there."

Erin frowned at the Clockmaker. "I haven't the slightest idea who is this person you want to have an audience with, Julius." The young woman watched in morbid curiosity as her guest's frown deepened beneath the lamp near the door.

Julius sighed heavily. "I'm referring to The Woman. The new piece on the chessboard, or rather, the player behind the new chessboard. I need you to take me to her. I've heard her being addressed by Aria...or something of the sort. She's the one who is controlling Ace and has allied herself with Joker, isn't she?" He placed a hand inside his coat, and with a blushing face, pulled a pink booklet titled _A Steamy Threesome_. "This … is a story with Ace and I with a mysterious woman, its contents contain too much about either of us to be a coincidence. Also, it had quite a strange note inside it."

The college graduate opened her mouth to speak until a wave of pain washed over her mind, followed by fragmented images. An underground cathedral where a casket rested on its wooden altar. Dark tendrils. A dimly-lit office that smelled like cigars, with a beautiful woman sitting in a leather chair and an ocelot made of shadows sitting in her lap. And then three words burn in the front of her mind.

Aria Hadron Scherzi.

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favorited. I hope this chapter has lived up to all of your expectations! Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. And without further ado, here are a few words from _chaos-dark-lord_! **

**_Message from chaos-dark-lord: A new chapter and more memories unlocked, not only that. Julius now knows, but what does he knows and why he wants to speak with the Berceuse?_**

 **PS - I have a special treat planned in October for the Heart/Clover/Joker no Kuni no Alice archive! Please stay tuned for more details and have a great week! :)**


	7. Chapter Seven

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

Over the hundreds of time changes he has served Blood, Elliot was accustomed to eating at high-class establishments for both business and pleasure that were also seen at low level taverns or mid class places. Either way, some poor bastard would still end up with a bullet lodged in their body, however, this time was different. Being cordially invited to the Black Swan March Hare was quite certain would be an experience he would not forget so easily after all that has happened. Why? Because the invitee was none other than the Outsider he had been pursuing. Erin Oswald. And it was a chance to prove that he was worthy of being her long-term companion… or at least to get back on her good graces. Hopefully… maybe?

When ten time changes had passed at the Hatter Mansion, the orange-haired bloke quickly passed on any remaining paperwork to his subordinates and nearly sprinted into the town. Recalling the directions Erin had given him with surprising clarity, he arrived at a brick-walled cafe with a black swan painted on either side of its double glass doors. The young woman in question stood on the right side, dressed in a spotted blouse with black slacks and a matching tote bag dangling from her shoulder. Her work uniform.

He smiled at the Outsider with a light shade of pink dusting on his cheeks. Even though he preferred that little brown dress he bought her than the uniform for their 'date', Elliot still believed that Erin looked gorgeous. The Role Holder, suddenly worried that being late for even just a few minutes would bite him in the arse and Erin would just go home. "Hi! You didn't wait too long for me, did you?"

But much to his relief, she shook her head with a blank expression. "No. I just got here myself, actually. Shall we go inside and be seated? This place is prone to being a popular area for other businesses in the vicinity, not just at the museum." Elliot nodded and walked up to the doors, pulling one of them open before he swung his spare arm in a low sweep. "After you, my lady." He said cheekily, the smile on his face stretching even further.

"Thank you, but I am not your lady." Erin deadpanned, entering the building. Elliot's grin faltered slightly at her response. _So much for that tactic. I guess I'll have to work harder to win her heart!_ Optimised by this peculiar train of thought, he closed the door behind him and observed the Black Swan's interior with interest.

Dark-colored wood and neutral colors decorated the area with the strings of a violin wafting through the air, adding a refined touch to the calm atmosphere that did not have that whiff of pompousness Elliot was reluctantly accustomed at Blood's various business transactions. His brown ears twitched ever so slightly as he heard Erin talking to the maitre'd.

"Welcome back, Erin~! A table or booth for two in the usual area today?"

"Not this time, Eva. I actually made a reservation under my last name."

No sooner after the Outsider spoke that the faceless woman pulled out a little black book and checked its contents. "Oh, right~! Please follow me."

With bubbling curiosity, the Hatters second-in-command followed Erin all the way to the back of the establishment and soon arriving at a large room with 'PRIVATE DINING ROOM' written in gold lettering above the door. Their guide, a faceless young woman, opened it with a silver key from her pocket. Inside was a large marble table with a dimly-lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling; there were already two glasses of iced water and silverware prepared for them.

"Here we are~! Allen will be your server today and should be here shortly. Is there anything else I may get you for the time being~?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you, Eva." Erin answered with a polite grin. Yet when the hostess exited the VIP room and closed the door, her smile melted to a frown as her bright green orbs stared up at him. "I hope these accommodations are satisfactory to your taste, Elliot." The fourth Outsider said, sitting right in front of the room's entrance.

The Role Holder blinked at Erin in surprise before he nodded and sat on the opposite side of the big table that could easily fit twelve people. "I-It's fine. I'm just happy that we're able to talk. And… you will at least hear me out."

"And whether or not I will take your word for it shall be entirely up to me. So far, the sincerity behind them has been...less than favorable. Considering what has happened between us since we last saw each other." Erin replied, picking up her glass and taking a small sip. Elliot almost winced.

Yup, she is still pretty sore about that.

'That' was trying to protect Erin from the Lullaby's influence by putting her in the basement beneath the Hatter Mansion under key, lock, and some bars; plus him almost killing her on Blood's order because his boss had lost patience with the lack of information on their enemy. And unfortunately, that was partially why he had agreed to meet with Erin over a meal and under whatever conditions she had set. Still, the March Hare had to let her know that he was truly apologetic about the...incident.

"Erin, please try and understand. Everything I had done, I did it all to keep you safe!" He said, pouting a little as his mauve orbs watched her own eyes narrow slightly. It was obvious that she was not buying it.

"Frankly, I fail to see how being locked up as I was and then nearly dying count as merits of safekeeping would be for my safety. Unless it 'is' a method. In your own mind that is."

Elliot opened his mouth to retort until a faceless server entered the private dining room with menus in his hand, and the silver nametag 'ALLEN' attached to the burgundy vest. The newcomer introduced himself and took their appetizer orders - a salad for Erin and a bowl of carrot soup for her dining companion -, jotting them down on a notepad before he promptly excused himself and left the room. Once the March Hare was fully aware that the faceless was out of hearing range, he tried to explain himself to the fourth Outsider again.

"I will admit that looking back, my method was not exactly hospitable to say the least and I am truly sorry for it. But there are things, people, in Wonderland who want to harm you. It's not just the Role Holders!" Elliot quickly included after seeing Erin's disbelieving expression.

"So do the Role holders really want to harm me too, when I've done nothing to warrant their anger?" Erin countered.

"The ones who are after you...us...it's that damned Lullaby organization." He nearly spat out the last few words before he stared long and hard at the young woman sitting across from him. "Do you really want to align yourself with those who want to kill you once your usefulness has been expired? What do you really know about them?"

"Just like what you tried to do when Blood did not get what he wanted?" Erin answered in an equally icy tone of voice, taking another sip from her drink.

Elliot bit his tongue and copied his companion, trying to reign in his temper. When he found his voice again, the foreigner beat him to being the lecturer

"In all honesty, I thought meeting you for a bite to eat would at least enlist some civility and a few pleasantries for once, but it seems that I have a mistake in doing so. This is just opportunity to gather information from me, isn't it?" Erin reclined herself ever so slightly against the wooden chair she sat in, releasing a heavy sigh. "Elliot, I'm just trying to live my life while trying not get tangled into the webs of this world. I don't care about the quarrels that you and the Role Holders have. Is that really such a bad thing?"

The March Hare's mauve orbs narrowed slightly at her statement. He knew it was not his place to interfere with an Outsider's wishes. And yet, he had to ask her that question. He needed to know. He inhaled a deep breath to steady his nerves before his mouth.

"No, it isn't wrong. It's just….Erin, what exactly can you remember? Since you have been here in Wonderland?" He decided to cut the chase.

Her body language was immediate: shoulders tense and eyes darkened in barely concealed anger. It took the coffee-haired woman several seconds to utter a response, and it carried obvious distrust as she stared at him with an incredulous expression. "And what I remember and cannot remember matters to you because…?"

"Because the Lullaby are getting more and more dangerous. Plus...I know what really happened that day in the underground cathedral." Elliot suppressed a shudder of disgust at the vile memory as he took another sip of his water, as if to purge himself from the unpleasant thought. "Do you?"

The fourth Outsider shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why I should tell you what I remember and what I am unable to, when the only reason behind your question is to gather information and not from genuine concern."

"Erin-!" Elliot began to say but an all too familiar sound distracted him.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

Both occupants of the VIP room immediately ducked under the table just as an array of bullets bulldozed through the double doors, shortly followed by screaming of different decibels. Elliot instinctively blocked out the incoherent noise on the other side, focusing his excellent hearing on pinpointing the number of intruders in the facility and their general directions. "One...two...five, seven?" The March Hare murmured softly under his breath. "Ten armed men?"

Despite feeling disappointed that his 'date' with Erin was rudely interrupted, the orange-haired Role Holder also saw the situation as beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, it had been too damned long since he was able to go on a killing spree without being held back by Blood. And second, it gave him an opportunity to show Erin how he good he was at protecting someone.

CLANK!

CREAK.

CREAK.

CREAK.

CREAK.

Elliot whipped his head around and saw Erin standing on top of the table, her small palms pulling on the chandelier towards the ground. Several meters away, behind a small wall fountain, an underground staircase was revealed. The two of them shared a look as another volley of gunfire resonated through the air.

"I'd ask you to come with me so we can both escape here, though it seems like you want to go and have a little fun. If not, then you better make up your mind, and fast." Erin got down from the table and headed for the secret escape route.

Elliot blinked at the astute observation Erin had made before a wry smirk curled around his mouth. "Heh, you know me too well. Don't worry, I'll be fine. But since this date's been ruined, we'll have to go on another one real soon, all right You'd better get going. The party's about to get a little crazy~!" He did not allow any time Erin to respond; the March Hare rushed out the door and then started shooting up everyone and anyone with a bloodthirsty, maniacal grin.

xRVx

Standing on a rooftop about three miles away from the establishment, Ace released a low whistle as he watched a plume of smoke began to reach the skies of Wonderland. "Wow, look at that~! It's a shame that the place is now becoming part of the Hatters' growing turf war. Julius really liked to get their made-to-order coffee beans every now and again~!"

But Ace was not alone. A silver-haired man dressed in tight and leather clothing dyed a deep shade of red, the human guise of a Frumious beast in Wonderland known as the Bandersnatch, merely scoffed. "So a building gets destroyed due to a Role Holders' temper tantrum. Big deal. Don't forget we have a job to do, Knave of Hearts."

"I know, I know~! Cause as much as chaos as possible so the big boob lady can get that piece of land she's always wanted~!" Ace pouted. "I still think Julius has a sexier ass than she does~!"

The Bandersnatch felt the fur of his tail bristle. "What do you know about that, brat? You can't even remember how sexy the Lady's ass is under that armor!" He growled threateningly.

"Oh? So I've knocked up your Lady too? Good to know. But I still think Julius is better~!" Ace smirked.

"Only to a directionally-challenged idiot that can't get anything but an introverted errand boy that nobody else wants anyways." The Bandersnatch coldly replied. "I rather shag the Lady than even touch that dog that is still lower in pedigree and hierarchy than you, knave. You think he wants you? It's obvious he still wants the Berceuse too."

Ace's sunny grin suddenly became dark and homicidal as he stood up, unsheathing the broadsword from his side as garnet-colored orbs focused solely on the silver-haired man. "Take that back, puppy~!"

"Why deny a fact that is so obviously true?" The Frumious Beast shrugged his shoulders while his whimsical smile became more wicked and mocking. "But then again, how can a low dog is supposed to understand the shine of a gem when it's busy drooling over it as if it was a bone? Are you focusing your attention on the Mortician to hide the pull of the Game towards the Lady? Are you jealous about not receiving her belly rubs or even a word of love? Or are you expecting the Clockmaster to get some too?"

Both men remained quiet for a second before they launched at each other, using the rooftop as their battleground. The Bandersnatch's claws extended to impossible lengths, oozing with poison while the knave parried them with his own weapon. They were both too fast and strong.

"Why don't you change into that other form?" Ace questioned as he threw a diagonal slash towards his enemy, though the Bandersnatch was able to dodge it.

"I don't even need to!" The Bandersnatch thrusted a leg out in a low kick to catch Ace off guard, but the knave was able to block it and his claws with a single stroke of his sword.

Suddenly, both of them jumped forward with bloodlust roaring in their veins. But when they landed right in front of each other to get a grip on their opponent, the rickety tiles beneath them cracked and slid, causing them to trip and roll around. Ace landed on top of the Bandersnatch, his pelvis and chest snugly pressed against his opponent's in an extremely compromising position. It practically screamed that they were having an affair to any clever observer, even though it was the exact opposite.

CLICK!

The sound of a camera's flash made both of their bloods freeze in horror as both Ace and the Bandersnatch turned around to see a quadruped creature made out of shadows.

"I have photographic evidence." said Aegis, Aria's A.I. with a body created from both darkness and technology sat in front of them as the ocelot tilted its head ever so slightly. "I wouldn't have considered that the two of you have some hidden relationship with each other."

"WE DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP!" Ace and the Bandersnatch answered simultaneously while they kicked each other way, a look of angst etched on their faces as they muttered under their breaths.

"I can't believe it. I-I cheated on Julius!"

"I-I...NO! I touched someone else other than the Lady! My hands and body have been soiled with idiocy!"

Both men became more upset at the disturbing revelation until Aegis rudely interrupted their individual train of thoughts. "Be that as it may, I have a message for you." His digital voice suddenly became that of the Berceuse. "SCREW AROUND LATER, GET THE FUCK BACK TO WORK."

At the word 'screw', Ace and the Frumious Beast looked at each other with a repulsed frown, yet they swiftly left the rooftop together with the intention of going after their next target and finish the mission as soon as possible in order to go back to their beloved. They made sure to put as much distance as possible between them while beady black eyes observed their movements.

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favorited. I hope this chapter has lived up to all of your expectations! Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.** **And without further ado, here are a few words from _chaos-dark-lord_!**

 _ **Message from Chaos-dark-lord: Hola a todos/as! We bring you a new chapter and it seems like things are coming closer together, don't they? Is there anything you'd like to see or know? Tell us in the reviews and we'll address things in the story if we can. Hasta Luego for now.**_


	8. Chapter Eight

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

Seven time changes passed until Erin found herself waiting for Elliot at Emerald Isle Cafe after she finished work for the day. Though the warm decor and courteous servers seemed remarkably similar to the establishment the two of them previously visited, the faceless who bustled around the floor were seasoned Lullaby foot soldiers. After the unfortunate incident that occurred at the Black Swan, Giovanni offered a solution for Erin when she informed him that she promised to meet the March Hare again; utilize her relationship with the organization to ensure her safety, and the anxiety of their subordinates whenever she is left alone with a Role Holder.

The fourth Outsider immediately agreed to it, and so far things were progressing much better than at the prior meeting. Neither her or the orange-haired man heard gunshots, and only excused themselves to use the restroom. And if the Hatters' second-in-command tried to do anything to Erin, multiple escape routes were prepared with trigger-happy snipers ready to provide the necessary protection for the college graduate. Erin felt safe under these conditions, finally to able to relax and enjoy herself enough to accept an unexpected invitation from Elliot for a new meeting in the near future, again in a place of her liking.

With her work completed at the Looking Glass Gallery and a full stomach, Erin was ready to go home and sleep. But when the dark-haired woman arrived at the intersection that was three blocks from her apartment, Julius Monrey suddenly appeared from the entrance of an alley.

"You are three minutes and twenty-one seconds late for our meeting, Erin." The residential mortician pointed out, oblivious to the surprised expression she was wearing as she gaped at him like a fish out of water for several seconds while his dark-blue orbs made contact with hardening emerald ones.

"What do you want?" Erin asked warily.

Julius then sighed heavily. "I would not be here if there was an alternative...but I've heard that you know someone I've been looking for. Does the name 'Aria' ring a bell? Your time has crossed with her's previously."

Erin raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I've met this Aria person before? Why would you assume that I know someone I've never met since been in this damned place? An explanation would be appreciated, Mister Monrey." The Clockmaker narrowed his eyes just so slightly. "I don't seek to harm her if that's what worries you."

Erin shook her head. "No, it doesn't. It's the reason why you want to see this lady. Role Holders are dangerous in their own right, regardless of the positive attributes that I've heard from Miss Liddell." The fourth Outsider felt irritation as her mind temporarily drifted to the image of a blonde-haired teenager. _Ever since she found out that I was working at the Looking Glass Gallery thanks to a certain carrot-loving hare, she's been bothering me with invitations to go out and have some 'fun'._

The stoic gentleman in surprise. "Alice? I'm looking for Aria Hadron Scherzi. The person who is responsible for the orchestration of the Spring Festival." He hesitated for a second when a plea left his mouth. "Please."

Bright green orbs widened slightly at two specific words that the Role Holder just said. "Spring….Festival?" Erin slowly repeated before a strong wave of pain crashed against the grey shores in her shattered mind.

 _Excited children munched on miniature sugar skulls as women danced for a clapping audience, their faceless physique painted in prominent sheep-white and black to resemble skulls decorated with colorful flowers and intricate patterns. Men wore different types of hats; from simple top hats to large_ sombreros _that enhanced the eccentric aspect of their full-body skeleton costumes, with elaborate apparel draped over them as they sang and played their instruments Latin melodies on the edges of the festival. Exotic scents permeated through the air, sweet and sour from unusual dishes that were being prepared near the middle of the town. Sweet breads, sugar-filled treats, and even roasted tarantulas or other edible bugs._

 _Tonight was the opening time change of a festival where Death was adored, recognized as a natural part of the human experience. A continuum that stood by your side through birth, childhood, and growth up to becoming a contributing member of the family as the community._

 _But furthermore, there was a dance held in the town square. A dance where she, Erin, wore an airy green dress and gilded across a wooden platform with -_

Julius expressed some concern as he watched the young woman grab either side of her head in obvious pain, but he did not move to get close or even extend a hand to Erin. The Undertaker had no idea what was happening, and preferred to remain unharmed if his actions caused an unsavory reaction from the fourth Outsider. Instead, he tentatively asked if she was all right.

Erin did not say anything, remaining silent as she recovered from the images that just flashed before her eyes. When the pain finally regressed to a dull throb in the back of her mind, she looked at Julius with an icy frown.

"What will you do if I can bring this Lady Aria to you? Will you kill me once the objective has been completed?"

Julius crossed his arms. "I asked you to take me to her, Erin. If that woman doesn't want to see me, then she'll take the matter into her own hands and kill me herself." Though he was calmly staring at the foreigner, the gaze in his cobalt-blue was almost pleading. "Furthermore, I have no reason to harm you. I might be Blood's enemy, my respect for Alice's well-being should be enough proof that I have no ulterior motive aside from asking...for help."

Erin stared at him for a moment before she slowly reached for the black pearl in her ear and pressed it, softly muttering in Spanish about the situation to Giovanni over the comms. She immediately received an answer; The mortician's testimony was accurate. If the Lady wanted to kill Julius, she would do so without hesitation. In addition, if Erin wanted to take him to the Lady, then she was more than welcomed to. According to Wonderland's Rules, no one was allowed to interfere with an Outsider's wishes.

Finally, she asked him this question: "Why do you want to see that person so badly that you have come to me?" The Clockmaster averted his stare to the cobble-stoned ground beneath him when he answered the fourth Outsider a few seconds later.

"Because...I believe she is the only one who can save someone I know."

After contemplating this decision, even while being aware that this lady is capable of protecting herself, Erin made up her mind. The coffee-haired woman then turned around towards the direction she just came from, uttering only two words to Julius. "Keep up."

Leading the surprised Role Holder down the street for ten minutes until making a left about four blocks from a florist's shop when the two of them arrived at another alley with a brick wall. Standing on her toes, Erin stretched her right hand and tapped it.

"Five across, three down. Okay, take a few steps back or else it won't work." Erin said to Julius, who immediately complied with her instructions. In less than five seconds a streak of light shot out from the wall, running over their bodies before a mechanical voice echoed from the structure.

"Identity confirmed. Access granted. Countermeasures deactivated."

The blue-haired Role Holder watched in shock as the wall wiggled and divided in half, moving until a passage was formed. Without any warning, Erin grabbed his wrist and led him inside. "Watch your step. It's easy to get confused down here. Lights should be coming on soon." Unable to make a verbal comeback or even pull away from the college graduate, Julius clammed up and wisely listened to this new set of instructions.

He was given a chance to see Aria. He could not fuck it up by something as simple as getting lost.

"Erin...Do you know really know what happened at the Spring Festival?"

The fourth Outsider shook her head. "No, but go ahead and tell me. I've only been able recall events or people happened prior to the event. The last memory I recovered was that everything had been going fine, until it didn't. I then remembered everything for went wrong some reason but I don't know what that reason was."

Julius exhaled a deep breath before he answered Erin. "The one who had been responsible for everything that went wrong at the Spring Festival was the Bandersnatch, a Frumious Beast that is just as old as Wonderland itself, or very nearly. A monster created from bad dreams and destruction whose sole desire is to hunt and devour after-images that aren't tied to a clock. Sometimes, it uses poison that can melt a clock that is damaged beyond repair." The Clockmaster shivered involuntarily at the hideous thought, but bravely continued his narration.

"Since the Spring Festival was held in my territory, it was my job to make things ran smoothly. I actually didn't see the creature myself, so I could not tell if had been summoned or not. In any case, things went from bad to worse as I tried to control the situation, chaos for a lack of a better word. At the same time, I went to look for Aria but she was nowhere to be seen, and no one conceded to tell me her location." He huffed at that sentence with some indignation. "On my way back to the town square I ran into the Mad Hatter, and he had the audacity to believe that a duel between us was long overdue." The Clockmaker released a low growl at the thought of Blood Dupre.

"Did you fight him then?"

"We did," Julius stated plainly. He had the unusual willingness to cross hairs with his fellow Role Holder that time change even there was a mutual dislike between them, though the residential mortician lacked the usual bloodlust that followed in these confrontations. "At least until the March Hare suddenly appeared with a gun pointed at my head. He was also carrying you on his shoulder, unconscious. When Blood saw that his subordinate captured you, he decided to retreat into the crowd while I decided it would be better to halt the search for Aria and do my duty to calm down the remaining citizens in my territory from the chaos before I went to back to the Clock Tower. Given what had happened, I suspected that a lot of people would come to me for my services."

"Did you suspect that Aria might have been the one to summon this Bandersnatch or had some part in it?"

Julius nodded. "Yes, but I wanted to ask her that myself, so I waited for that woman appear, she has the tendency of appearing out of nowhere at random." He closed his eyes for a moment to let out a sigh before continuing. "She never came. What puzzled me even more after the Spring Festival was Ace's behavior; it had gotten more obnoxious, and took him even longer to come to the Clock Tower from Heart's Castle."

"Do you know if Mister Ace had some sort of relation with Aria at the time? "

"No, yet I had my suspicions. Especially when he told me out of the blue that the fourth Outsider was being tortured for information, even suggested it to the Bloody Twins. I don't think he realized that his words were taken for granted...or maybe he did it on purpose." Julius felt a headache developing at the thought of the idiotic knave. "Gods knows what goes through that man's mind."

Erin felt her blood boil, angered to hear that the person who had decided she should be tormented when she refused to talk was a suggestion made by Ace. Nonetheless, she couldn't find it in her exhausted mind to care at this point.

That was then. This is now.

"Julius why do you really want to see that person? What do you mean she can save someone you know?" Erin asked. The fourth Outsider could not help but be curious. After all, all of the members she has met so far within the Lullaby organization believe that their leader had saved and improved their lives, which in a way was true.

"I...want to save myself and Ace. That man has been fighting against his role since a long time ago. I know he doesn't remember Aria, but he can probably sense that he does know her. It's a pull on your clock and I'm sure he feels it."

"But is he a man worth saving? Even when he mentioned that torturing someone to members of a mafioso organization as if he were to talking about the weather?" Erin's voice was curt, not too keen on the memory of the knave at the moment.

Erin's question caused Julius to sigh heavily again. "Ace is like a wild card. He wants to see Aria have emotions even if it might break her programming. Or perhaps being the cause of that is his objective. He likes to disrupts things that are constantly in order." The navy-haired Role Holder muttered with a grave expression. "And he does not care for any consequences that come from his actions."

"And what about you? Why do you want to be saved… or what do you want to be saved from? Is it because how crucial your Role is in Wonderland?" Erin hesitated to ask her next question, though she could not hold anything back now when the Role Holder was cooperating to share information.

"Because...I remember Erin." Julius closed his eyes for a second, clenching his loose palm by his side into a tight fist. "I remember what happened before that storm occurred so long ago. I made many, terrible mistakes."

"So you feel responsible for your actions?" The college graduate was having a hard time believing that his desire to see this mysterious woman was really as simple as a man seeking repentance. "How is it that you remember what happened anyways, when even Mister Ace cannot say the same?"

"She came to me not too long before the festival. I owned her money apparently from before she disappeared and also a promise upon my Role." Julius rose his hand to look at the calloused back of his hand, feeling warmness of a mark that cannot be easily seen to the naked eye. An unbreakable vow that he made, yet was forgotten until she came to claim it. "After meeting her again, she and I..."

Erin glanced back at the navy-haired Role Holder and saw him blushing. It was not that hard to deduce what happened next in his story. "The two of you got intimate with each other, then? "

Julius almost tripped at his companion's word, and tried to hide his discomfort with a cough although his cheeks were tinted by a deeper blush. "Aria used mana on me, for some sort of experiment. I started remembering after our...union. I do not think she is not aware of it though."

"But as of right now, you remember having sex with this lady prior to what happened to the Spring Festival, and then you waited after the chaos in your territory was neutralized even though, in the end, she never showed up." Erin concluded.

The Clockmaker nodded. "I remember everything, even when everyone else forgot. Before she disappeared from Wonderland without as much a trace."

Erin hummed softly to herself as she made a right turn at the end of the corridor, unyielding in both her grasp on his wrist and her interrogation. It was cruel, but she wanted to hear the truth. And if it came from the mouth of Role Holder, then she would have less doubt to believe him.

Maybe.

"You seem to be very familiar with her, knowing what she does and perhaps why she does it. Do you love her?"

Julius sighed at her blunt statement, but answered Erin's question. "Yes, and I'm not the only one who does. Ace's recent horniness is because he is trying to project the love caused by the Game towards another target, instead onto the intended foreigner. Unfortunately it's not working in his favor and it will end in disaster. Especially because our feelings are already beyond what the Game started. Even if our memories were blocked, our clocks remembered."

Bright green orbs narrowed slightly as the young woman muttered under her breath. "In the end, everything is related to the manipulation of the Game, huh?"

"It's the biggest sentiment one can attain."

An awkward silence soon fell upon the pair as they continued to walk through the dimly-lit underground corridors, artfully weaving around its winding paths until their feet came to a halt. Standing in front of them was a stone statue shaped like a sphinx. Julius opened his mouth to say something to Erin until an ominous, digital voice intervened.

"Quid pro quo. I tell you things, and you tell me things. Quid pro quo. Yes or no?"

Erin remained silent for a few seconds until she gave an answer. "Yes." She had never ventured this far in the underground catacombs, only getting this far with directions from Giovanni. However, she knew from both education and experience that saying 'no' was never the correct answer.

The sphinx then spoke again. "Question A : Historians have referred to the Taj-Mahal as one of the largest monuments of love. But what is it truly? Hint: Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it." Julius gaped at the stone creature with an open mouth, yet immediately clamped it shut.

"This...is from the other world?" He asked in fascination, having never seen a sentient being that had the body of a lion and the head of a beautiful woman, which conveniently, bore the facial features of the Lullaby's Berceuse. Ignoring the musings of the Role Holder, Erin thought about the question for a moment before she gave it an answer. "The Taj-Mahal is an elaborate coffin. In other words, the largest man-made monument that is supposed to symbolize love is nothing but a tomb."

The sphinx nodded. "That is correct. Question B: The eight of us go forth but not back to protect our king from a foe's attack. What are we?"

 _That_ was an easy one. Erin's response was immediate after spending less than a second pondering the cryptic words. "Pawns on a chessboard."

"Yes. Question C: On what day did the Doctor Who episode 'Blink' premiere on the UK broadcasting system?"

"June 9, 2007."

"Correct."

Erin released a small sigh of relief when the sphinx nodded. It was a good thing that she enjoyed watching Doctor Who enough to remember the original broadcast date of certain episodes. Yet...she could not help but wonder one thing.

Were these questions tailored especially for her? And if so, why?

Just as she was about to contemplate this thought any further, the sphinx's eyes became an electric shade of blue, and the ground began to shake beneath their feet. Both the Outsider and Role Holder watched in surprise as a spiraling staircase erupted from under the stone creature, but they quickly jumped on it when the construction rose higher and higher, causing Erin to loosen her grip on Julius' wrist. The journey took them four minutes until they arrived at a pair of large wooden doors, an entrance that was surely enforced by strong steel beneath its dark exterior and surely provided far more protection that it's impossible appearance hinted at.

The fourth Outsider shared a look with Julius before she raised a hand to push the door open, halting half-way when she heard a cheerful voice from the other side. The Knave of Hearts. Ace.

"Aw, I missed~!"

Another male voice, though deeper and laced with obvious irritation, answered the cheerful Role Holder. "Watch where you're aiming, you fucking idiot!"

"But where's the fun in that? It's like playing a game of darts~! You can stick it in more than one place~!"

The Undertaker's eyes widened and his cheeks grew hot at the lewd statement that was just uttered from the idiotic knave. Not waiting even a second, Julius pushed the door opened with startling energy. Lights were automatically switched on a spacious and tastefully decorated auditorium, and the two men parrying weapons with homicidal grins on their faces. One was Ace. The other was a young man with long silver-hair and wearing revealing, leather clothing.

Erin looked at the spectacle in surprise. "...Unbelievable." Yet as soon as those words left her mouth, she felt a small gust brush past her neck that was followed by a loud 'thunk'. The college graduate looked to the side and saw a dagger embedded in the door closest to her.

Ace's ruby-dyed eyes widened at the appearance of Julius, and then looked at the young woman standing next to him. "Oopsie~?"

"Watch it, you idiot! You could have hurt the fourth Outsider!" His opponent snarled, the silver-colored fur on his tail standing up while his ears were pressed against his head in an aggressive manner.

Julius took a step towards his henchman with an almost angered expression on his face. "Ace, what are you doing?!" The knave shrunk back slightly from Wonderland's mortician.

"Eh, having some fun in the dark~?"

Before the navy-haired Role Holder could utter a response, a deep feminine voice intercepted. "Would all of you please calm down? Or would you like to take your obviously pent-up frustrations to a hotel? I'm sure the entertainment department wouldn't mind recording it and selling the product in the underground market."

Everyone turned their attention to the back of the auditorium and saw a beautiful woman sitting at a large desk. Half of her multi-shaded blonde hair was pulled back into a long braid that extended from the base of her nape, almost sinuously accenting the black-scaled armor she wore. Despite all of the excitement that seemed to happening before her olive-green eyes, she looked absolutely bored until her gaze fell upon Julius.

"This is an unexpected turn of events. You came sooner than expected but so be it," The mysterious overseer rested her head on the back of her hand as she blankly glanced over at the Role Holders with a bored expression. "I suppose you want to talk, Clockmaster? Might well as get it over with before I have my daily dose of pre-paperwork booze."

* * *

 **Hello everyone! It's almost that time of the year again: October 31st is around the corner, followed by lengthy winter holidays! I hope the readers who are enrolled in school are doing well and sincerely hope that this chapter has served as an excellent treat for them this Halloween!** **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.** **And without further ado, here are a few words from _chaos-dark-lord_!**

 _ **Message from Chaos-dark-lord:**_ **Hello. Erin is finally gonna get some answers. What do you think she should ask? Or do you have anything else in mind ? Tell us in your comments!**


	9. Chapter Nine

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

The Bandersnatch resisted the urge to gag in disgust as he watched Ace pounce and violate the Clockmaker, until the silver-haired male could not take it anymore. Pulling the knave away from the deeply disturbed Role Holder with a push, he said, "Meeting first, and then you can molest the poor bastard all you want." The Frumious Beast wrinkled his nose. "And for the record, the two of you aren't married or even in a formal relationship, so you can't call Julius Monrey your wife or whatever unless you put a ring on it."

Ace looked at the Frumious Beast and then blew a raspberry at him. "You can't rape the willing~!" He protested he tried to resume groping the Clockmaker while being held back by the shirt collar, but it was proving to be difficult for two reasons: the Bandersnatch's grip was tightening by the second, and Julius was trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"And who said I'm willing?!" Julius snapped with anxiety, looking at the desperate knave with a horrified expression.

"You didn't try to push me away~!" Ace answered cheekily. Julius' slightly flushed face resembled a maraschino cherry in less than a second after his mind processed what exactly the knave just said.

"I'm trying!" The mortician groaned. He was almost certain that the knave's advances were being fueled by the silent presence in the room, which he himself was too aware of. The mere proximity between the Role Holders and Berceuse was fueling up all the impulses of the Game, reminding them it was going on at it's fullest and that the prize for it was nearby, gauging their worth.

"Then why did you take a few minutes to say something, darling~?" Ace winked, blowing a kiss in the air.

"That hasn't even been one minute! DAMN IT ACE!" Julius facepalmed, wiggling his way away from the deviant's clutches before he was able catch his breath. "This is not a good moment." He groaned, wondering if Ace was being seriously idiotic or if the knave was seriously trying to prevent him from getting a chance to speak with the silent foreigner in an indirect way.

While this one-sided argument continued to drag on, Erin's attention zeroed in on the woman sitting at the desk until she felt a dull pain sweep across her temple. Fragmented images then suddenly appeared; an ice-covered coffin sitting inside a cathedral, the scent of a lit Cuban cigar, the chilling sensation over her skin of static electricity, and the mechanical purring of a feline.

This person...was she…?

"Aria….Hadron Scherzi?" Erin whispered softly, though her words nearly went unheard if not for the fluffy ears if the extra occupant of the room or the Berceuse's implanted components and devices that included advanced hearing, courtesy to the futuristic cochlear implants.

Olive-green orbs blinked impassively at the fourth Outsider for a few seconds, scrutinizing the girl until Aria turned her head to the arguing trio.

"Be quiet." Aria's hiss came out through her speakers with disdain and disgust. "As much as I'd like to get this meeting done and over with, it seems there is a pressing matter to take care of first," She then stood up from the desk, tall and mighty without even needing to display her power. "So until I get back, you'd better play nice or I'll lock the three of you in a room with just paper and some colored crayons. Alternatively you can get started on experimenting with the possibility of a threesome between yourselves. I could sure as hell use an alternative, more profitable form of entertainment than a fight to the death, much less listen to the petty insults of troublesome males." The Berceuse made eye contact with Erin before a brief, and fleeting smile stretched across her beautiful face. "Follow me, Miss Oswald. We have much to discuss don't we? And unfortunately, not enough time periods."

Erin stared at the older woman with uncertainty in her bright green eyes before she nodded. Yet just as either of them lifted a foot from the ground, Julius intervened in an annoyed voice.

"Please wait a moment, Aria! I have been through a lot of trouble just to see you, and yet you wish to dismiss me now? I have questions that I want answers to, and...things I want to say to you as well." The Clockmaster looked at the woman with uncertainty but determination, taking a moment to glance at Erin for a second.

The Berceuse narrowed her eyes and the Bandersnatch took to growl at the Clockmaker. "Who do you think you are to demand anything from her, when you should be groveling on the ground, asking for forgiveness?! " Electric blue eyes narrowed dangerously while a snarl escaped the Bandersnatch's throat. "You don't even have the right to use her name, and I'll rip out your tongue if you do so again." His fangs became more prominent and his groomed hair was now standing up on end. "This is one of the reasons why I hate you Role Holders so fucking much."

"Julius, you're so knightley!" The Knave of Hearts moaned, getting turned on by Julius' sudden aggressive determination while the Frumious Beast was ready to decapitate the residential mortician at any moment with the Berceuse's permission.

Still, Ace did seemed to stop interfering, giving glances towards Julius and the Berceuse while keeping a hand over the hilt of his sword.

Meanwhile, Aria's expression became still before she blinked slowly at the navy-haired male, then and without disclosing any single emotion, she uttered a single word through her speakers that prompted the master of Time to continue. "Speak."

Julius sighed heavily, running a hand through messy bangs, now unsure of how to say what he wanted to convey. "I...have a proposition for you, Ar… Berceuse." He forced himself to use that title, apparently she had lost all familiarity with them to speak on a name basis, and was not even willing to speak with her own voice to them, which was alienating to him. But there was still some hope, and he was willing to bet all on it. With a deep breath he fixiated his eyes onto the woman.

"I would like to be offered the same contract as the one Ace has with you. In exchange, I want to make absolutely certain that neither of us will be dismissed from the current Game, or any new Game that involves you as a participant. That would also include any and all loopholes that may come up and have been overlooked for one reason or another." Wonderland's infamous mortician explained, casting a glance back at the Bandersnatch. He did not know who that man was, but for some reason Julius could feel he was a Role Holder; and he had a hunch just what part he played in this twisted world, and that complicated things a lot more than he have imagined.

The Bandersnatch perked his ears up in the air along with his ruffled fur, conveniently looking the part of an alpha male with his behavior. "I think you're confusing the contract with an invitation to a male harem, Clockmaker. Do you really want to be the Berceuse's dog like this directionally-challenged idiot here?"

Aria just stared blankly at Julius, not a single shred of any human emotion in her face before she answered through her speakers, still not even bothering to use her own voice or his own name to address him. "Is that the only reason why you came to see me? To be another pawn in my plans, even when you have absolutely no idea what will happen once I have full control over your Role? Did I allow you to crawl in here just to hear something like that?"

To the surprise of both the knave and Bandersnatch, Julius shook his head and looked towards the girl who had guided him here. "No. I….may not have known Erin Oswald for very long, but I have heard that she has willingly joined your organization. But what are your intentions for her? To use her until she is no longer valuable and be discarded? Or do you have something else planned? I think she deserves to know, especially since it's apparent that her memories still not haven't completely returned. And I'm sure your staff is aware that the March Hare isn't going to stop pursuing the fourth Outsider until he has her heart. She...deserves better than that, doesn't she?"

Aria remained unfazed at Julius' speech and answered him through the speakers, the sound somehow expanding around through the shadows like an echo that came from every corner of the room as the shadows crackled in their forms. "You think I'd do to her what you did to me? Use and then discard me?" The second foreigner pointed at the other outsider. "I have no idea why you think that I'm controlling Erin, Role Holder. She is not part of my organization unless she wants to, by her own free will. And unlike you damn clocklings, I happen to respect the wishes of Outsiders." She then lit out a cigar with the flick of a customized metallic lighter before she took a long drag.

"What she decides to do with the March Hare is her business, not mine. But I am curious. Why are you interested if something happens to Erin? Are you in love with her too. Do you plan to try and advance in her Game before it even starts, knowing you've already lost two Games?"

The Clockmaker shook his head again, trying ignore the burning sensation that was starting to spread across his face and the tips of his ears. "Because I don't want to repeat the mistakes that happened to you to happen to anyone else. Even now, I cannot forgive myself for what happened. I was selfish, and a damned fool to think otherwise." He then looked at Aria in the eyes, not daring to add that as long as her game was going it wasn't lost, or so he wanted to hope. Yearning that there was still a chance. "I remember. I remember everything. From the beginning...and now. I… I'm sorry, Aria."

The Berceuse blinked at Julius, raising an eyebrow before she leaned forward, not breaking eye contact with him, her eyes gaining an unnatural digital glow. When she spoke, she actually uttered the words. "You do? That's….interesting." Aria then took deep inhale from the cigar and exhaled another small gray cloud seconds later while looking away. "I guess I could use another dog, or even another toy to keep me entertained." She shrugged. "At the very least, you could serve as a test subject for my experiments." The second foreigner then smirked in a cruel yet sardonic way for a second, tilting her head sideways to crack her neck before regaining her undisturbed, blank expression. "And if you really mean it, then promise loyalty by your Role and doom yourself for whatever remains of your life." There was no change in her stern expression as she spoke these words, not even bothering to smirk at the fidgeting Role Holder.

"Julius, don't! I don't know what you remembered but if you make a promise in the name of your Role! - " Ace began.

Hardened cobalt orbs looked back at the knave, effectively silencing him before Julius returned his attention to the Berceuse. "I Julius Monrey, the Clockmaker and Time Master accept the contract and its terms." He said firmly. Inky tendrils soon crawled upon him, and then coiled around his neck to create a pitch-black collar with a silver nametag that read:

PROPERTY OF ARIA HADRON SCHERZI. RETURN IF LOST.

Julius looked with dismay at the humiliating collar, feeling a hole in the pit of his stomach. The Bandersnatch just smirked and barked towards Ace. "Well it looks like you have a new job, knave: break in the new dog until he knows his place. "

Ace turned towards the Bandersnatch but spoke towards Aria with a sudden, sunny smile on his face. "You didn't need to add a collar, my Lady. But If you want some entertainment, then a dog fight could served to you momentarily~!" The red-eyed knave prepared his sword, pointing it at the Bandersnatch and took a step forward, ready to make another assassination attempt on the Frumious Beast. But just when The knight of Heart's was about to launch himself into combat mode, the double doors suddenly opened with a loud 'bang'.

"Lady A, please accept my deepest apologies for the interruption but I have just received urgent news from the recon group!" A faceless man in a charcoal- gray suit immediately came inside, a worried expression framed by shaggy black tresses as he stepped inside and quickly closed the doors before running to Aria's side, completely ignoring the other people in the room. The Berceuse's mouth tightened into a thin line when he handed Aria several clipped documents.

"What happened?" The mercenary foreigner asked, skimming through them fast, the digital glow in her eyes flashing and becoming more menacing by the second as she read on.

"The portal to Diamond has opened prematurely to the allotted time it has been scheduled for, and right in the middle of the territorial edges belonging to the Hatter syndicate and the Clock Tower!" He looked up at his leader, who seemed to be ignoring him in favor of reading the paperwork she just received but he knew she was listening. "We have already sent in half of our forces to protect the barrier, but it's already so noticeable that the other Role Holders are beginning to make their own moves. What are your orders?"

Although the faceless stranger's attention remained completely focused on the Berceuse, Erin felt her face turn white and pulse quicken until more fragmented memories suddenly hammered her little grey cells with a ferocious tenacity. The rest of the memories she was lacking.

A faceless man dressed in a uniform that almost looked like a well-groomed butler.

The children's section at the Looking-Glass Gallery surrounded by painted kittens, mewling for Erin's attention on the carpeted floor.

Dancing beneath a full moon in the town square...and then...darkness.

 **Leo.**

This man...it had to be him. Leo. The person she had been looking for this whole time. The individual who made her heart quiver at the mere thought of him.

Erin felt herself grow weak in the knees, but was steadied with two torn desires: kiss him, or slap the bloke for making her worried about his well-being, but before she could do either of those things, Aria spoke up in a mechanical voice, granting Erin a much-needed moment to grab her breath lest she did something stupid to anger the Berceuse or anyone else here in the room.

"The portal is holding out but it need be stabilized." The Berceuse held one hand against a button on her suit near the neck and spoke, loud and firm, making eye contact with the faceless man to ensure that her orders were transmitted to him and the other Lullaby members via the comm network. "If the Maya team is not on the move, have them fall back and mount the railings to the location. Inca operators should prepare to send and receive transit vehicles to our members in Diamond. Que los operativos 'Fuego' inicien tácticas de distracciones en todos los territorios menos la torre del reloj; exploten lo que sea necesario para distraer a los líderes de territorio. ( **Have the Fuego operatives start distraction tactics in all the territories but the clock tower, explode whatever is necessary to distract the territorial leaders**.)"

"What's going on?" Julius asked, looking confused yet feeling anxious at the news he just heard. Something was going on in his territory, and it definitely did not sound good.

The Bandersnatch just grinned, wagging his silver-colored tail in excitement, "Looks there's been a change in plans, Mortician. It seems you'll serve as an attack dog tonight instead. This will definitely be interesting to watch~!"

Aria then looked up at the Role Holders, wearing an expression that would not take any defiance from them unless they wanted to be permanently omitted from the Game at the very least, and that promised utter pain and despair if they were to fail. "I think the part of a guard dog is more fitting for the Clockmaker right now than on the offensive team Bandersnatch; he needs to protect his territory and my interests from the interference of any other Role Holder that are sticking their noses in this matter. " She then looked at Ace's red eyes. "But of course, an attack dog is a necessary option if things get dicey with any other Role Holder who gets too close. No doubt territory leaders will want to sent their own dogs." Her stern gaze then finally returned to Julius. "You have your orders. Dismissed."

Ace blinked at the Berceuse in surprise before he grabbed Julius around the shoulders, pulling him away with a goofy grin on his face. "Time to head out, Julius~! The big-breasted lady is sending us out on a date, and I gotta bring you back in five time changes or else I'll get in trouble~!" But the Clockmaker was not having it, and tried fight against Ace's firm grip, widened cobalt eyes frantically staring back at Aria.

"Wait! I have questions, and you haven't even tell me what's going on, in my own territory nonetheless!" The mortician called back, extending his hand in her her direction.

The Bandersnatch released a low growl and slapped the Clockmaker's hand to the side before he placed his clawed hand on Julius' back, pushing him towards the double doors. "You might receive answers once this matter has been dealt with, Clockmaker. You have orders. Move out. Now."

Realizing that he was not going to receive anything from Aria now, especially with the harsh gaze she threw at him, he resigned to following Ace. But that did not mean he was going to give up. One way or another, he would talk to the second Outsider and say all that was needed to be said. That was a promise he would definitely keep.

It was not even a moment when both Role Holders left the office that Aria soon gave new orders to the Bandersnatch and Leo. "You two are to go with them. I don't trust them but they can be used as an extra distraction while the operatives attempt to connect the portal between here and Diamond are already several steps ahead of what they may think, so you must ensure they don't mess it up. Understood? "

"As you wish~!"

"Yes, Lady A."

But just as the remaining gentleman were about to leave and carry out their Lady's orders, Erin spoke up with a sudden plea.

"Wait!"

Aria raised a brow as she watched the flushed foreigner approach Leo, and then, Erin raised her hand and soundly struck the faceless across the cheek with an open palm.

"That is for making me worried sick about, you damned bastard! Where the bloody hell were you hiding, Leo!?" Erin yelled, breathing heavily while a bright-red hue began to creep up to her face.

"E..Erin!? Y-You! You remember me!? I..." The faceless man stuttered before he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by Erin.

"I...I remember you. I remember everything, Leo. So why...after what happened...did you leave me? Why?!"

Leo could only stand there, speechless at the words that he just heard before he hugged the Outsider as firmly as she held him. "You finally remembered..." However, he was soon pulled away by a solemn-looking Bandersnatch.

The Frumious Beast smiled; though instead of showing any of the animosity he had displayed early towards the Role Holders, it was replaced with confidence and warmth. "You can see her when we get back, Leo. We have to help our comrades out on the field or else our hard work will be for nothing. All right?" Not even giving the faceless a second to respond, the silver-haired male lifted his temporary partner off the floor and took him out of the place, though he sent a momentary glance back to smile at Aria before the doors were closed behind him.

Erin took a shaky step towards the entrance in a half-hearted attempt to follow Leo though was stopped by a metallic hand clamping down on her shoulder. The college graduate craned her head to the side and saw Aria standing right behind her.

"Are you alright, Erin? Your legs are trembling." The Berceuse looked at the other foreigner, moving her scrutinizing eyes down to Erin's shaking legs.

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat. "I-I don't think so. I've finally remembered him after all this time...and everything we went through...just to see him leave. I-It hurts." The young woman placed a quivering fist over her chest. "It hurts...a lot."

The impassive mercenary gave Erin a small squeeze around the shoulder, still analyzing the Outsider's mental and physical stability before she shrugged. "He'll be back soon enough Erin, I promise. Leo has gotten much stronger during your...separation. He would have liked to go with you, but with the state of your memories…" The Berceuse exhaled deeply. "In any case, this is an emergency that needs to be taken care of right away." Aria tilted her head and blinked owlishly at the Outsider's actions before she had Erin grabbed onto her and guided the younger female to another door at the far wall.

Behind a detailed portrait of herself and Erin as the Sun and Moon, respectively, a locked door lied sleeping until Aria opened it with a hidden it was unlocked, the two women walked down a corridor where they arrived into a small, cozy living area where soft music played through the speakers. With measured care, the Berceuse helped Erin take a seat on the leather couch nearby.

"We have a lot to discuss with an even shorter amount of time than I thought. Would you like some tea before we get started? Beer? Wine? Cigarettes?" Aria asked, slowly removing her metallic hand from the dark-haired woman. "You do need to take something, you are looking quite pale."

Erin shook her head. "J-Just some water would be fine, please, or even a mug of hot chocolate."

"I think some Xocolatl would be the best remedy to calm yourself down." Aria then walked towards the small kitchenette and began preparing the requested drink by using some hard looking chocolate disks that were rich in flavor and scented with cinnamon and vanilla. Once the process was finished, she served it on clay mugs in a way that made it foamy, and then the Berceuse handed one to Erin before she took a seat next to the other Outsider.

"Drink it, it'll make you feel better. Then tell me what you remembered." The Berceuse gently instructed, pushing the mug into her guests' quivering fingers, letting her hands over Erin's for a few extra seconds.

Erin nodded and took a few tentative sips, starting to slowly calm down from everything that she had seen and experienced within the last six time changes, or how many have changed since she guided Julius to this place. Taking a deep breath, the college graduate informed the Berceuse what she remembered through the fragmented memories she has gained. It felt good to recall and tell aloud all that, but she had also unanswered questions.

"Lady A...Berceuse, the only thing I cannot seem to recall is after that hole in the sky opened up during the Spring Festival. What was that the portal you were referring to Leo earlier? The one that acts as a gateway between here and Diamond Country?"

"You can use my name, I don't mind," Aria hummed softly as she opened a box on the table, pulling out another cigar before she snuffed the other one out. "This portal is related to that, yes."

Bright emerald green orbs watched the Berceuse add a pinch of rum to her drink before Erin spoke up. "I am grateful that you and your organization were able to help me regain my memories...but may I ask why didn't you contact me earlier? If I had received a pink booklet as I did in the past to trace your whereabouts, it might have been easier for us to get in touch. Unless...things have gotten worse after I was taken hostage by the Hatters?"

"After you were taken hostage things complicated," Aria stared at the fourth Outsider for a moment before she took a swing of her drink. "As much as I would have liked to get you out of that hellhole, barging into the Hatters' territory without a solid plan or even an inkling on where exactly you were kept would have been a bad idea. It would have gotten you killed much earlier than Elliot March's attempted execution in the forest, and even expose my own forces." She took another sip. "And not knowing where you were meant we couldn't pass you any book "

Erin stared at the Berceuse long and hard before she released an unhappy sigh. "As much as it bothered me to not have anyone to help me when I needed it, I can understand that such wasn't possible; even my own life is not worth risking twenty of your men or more. You are their leader, so their well-being has to come first."

Olive-green orbs hardened ever so slightly. "Don't think we didn't do anything, Erin. We kept spies waiting for the chance to reach you and get you out of there, but that damn hare didn't allow anyone near the Mansion, not even a fucking delivery man, so the only thing we could do was to remain near for any chance." Aria let out a deep exhale of white smoke. "As to why I didn't contacted you early…well, when I heard that you were able to escape and find your old apartment; I also learned that your memory was shattered, so I decided that it would be better for you to slowly remember things on your own without any interference that might hinder your recovery. Still, we halted several attempts to kidnap you again from the shadows, and trust me, you wouldn't have liked it, especially when your memories were lashing out." The Berceuse looked deeply at her beverage, perhaps recalling her own past experiences.

"I understand." Erin took another sip of the delicious beverage, thinking on Leo and what had transpired with the Role Holders, the weird man with fluffy ears and tail coming to her mind. "Who was that bloke with the fluffy ears? The Bandersnatch?"

"Yeah, that's him. Why?" Aria shrugged her shoulders as if that wasn't important. "Do you remember him?... His other form?"

"Not really...his voice seemed familiar though."

"He mentioned having met you during the festival." Aria pinched her chin. "I'm not sure about him completely, though. He may act like a big puppy or try to speak as if he was wise, but he is still a Frumious Beast and for some reason he sees me as his boss, if not more. He also is the one who came out with the deal for Ace to be another dog to play with. " Aria grabbed her cigar and continued smoking. "The Bandersnatch… he is familiar to me too for some reason I can't recall." The mercenary then looked sideways at Erin. " ...and talking about familiarity, why did you allow yourself to lead Julius here? Curiosity?"

Erin slowly nodded. "It was like that at first, especially since he seemed so adamant to see you, going so far as stalking me back to my own home. But I still wasn't sure what was his purpose. That was why I contacted my boss...and asked him what to do. I didn't want to potentially endanger his life, or yours for the matter."

Aria squelched her cigar on the ashtray and took another sip of her drink. "To be honest, I never expected that Julius would want to make a deal with me. And if he does remembers what happened that day, all the more reason to know that he is even more dangerous now than ever." Olive-green orbs locked onto green-apple ones. "What do you think about what he said?"

Erin scratched her cheek. "Well...It doesn't seem someone like him would even want to strike a deal with someone who could potentially wipe out his entire existence with a minor shift in the Game's programming. So why extend an olive branch when it could kill him first than be an asset to him."

"Exactly. My assumption is that he is planning something." Aria narrowed her eyes, her face showing a flashing snare that disappeared as soon as it came. "As with any other Role Holder he can't be trusted beyond expecting him to follow his duties, much less follow the instincts set by the Game. Just because I've made a contract with the mortician doesn't mean I trust him, not at all Erin. It is a case of 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. I am simply using the Clockmaker and other Role Holders who are willingly to offer their services to me until the expiration date." Aria raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, how are things progressing with Elliot March?"

Erin stiffened at the mention of the Hatters' second-in-command. "There's not much to say about him except he is still trying to fish for more information about you and the Lullaby. I've meet up with that irritating bloke a few times...only to have each encounter be interrupted with either a shooting or being confronted by rival syndicate leaders." The green-eyed Outsider sighed heavily. "He's definitely starting to become more trouble than he is worth."

"Starting?" A soft chuckled came out from the Berceuse's lips. "He's always been." The Berceuse took a sip from her drink while staring Erin from the corner of her eyes. "I assume he's also been trying to worm himself into your graces and Game, huh?"

"It's so obvious that it is almost painful to interact with him." Erin deadpanned; however, there was a tiny feeling in the back of her heart that made the young woman unable to truly hate the March Hare. In spite of his trigger-happy moments, and even acknowledging that Elliot March was just another piece on Wonderland's chessboard, like the rest of the Role Holders, remembering his beaming face made Erin...almost want to smile back. He was becoming another important person to her...and that scared her a little bit. With a quick breath, she turned towards the Berceuse. "But...what exactly has Leo been doing this whole time? You mentioned that he has gotten stronger than last time."

Aria nodded, a glimpse of pride in her semblance. "He has. During the Spring Festival he got seriously injured and needed to recuperate, and then went straight to training as soon as the doctor gave him the proverbial green light. He wanted to save you no matter what." Aria emptied her mug and set it down. A somewhat mischievous grin formed on her mouth. "Do you remember what the notes said about mana?"

Bright green orbs blinked as Erin tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. "More or less. Mana is the energy produced by the foreigners love and decisions, a cost of opportunity of all the things they could have done otherwise. Right?"

"Yes indeed. Mana is energy, and energy can be radiated and directed in various way." Aria stood up, a wide smile on her face. "I think I can teach you now more about it, and if you remember what you said about friendship, well, then I might be able to teach you how to use it on some basic level." She winked. "It all comes down to science at its core."

Erin looked at the Berceuse in surprise. A heavy silence fell upon the room until she responded, uncertain and curious. "Can you...show me? How I can use mana, I mean."

"Do you want to try?"

* * *

Hello, everyone and Happy New Year! I sincerely apologize for the long-awaited installation of **Red Velvet** to be published until this evening, but unfortunately a lot has happened since the last update. Though I can say with absolute certainty that the Erin Oswald series will continue. Thank you so much to the readers who have waited so patiently. And without further ado, here are a few words from **chaos-dark-lord**!

 **chaos-dark-lord** : Hello readers, with this chapter we close 2016 and wish you a great 2017, may you achieve great things that will make your life and the world better, or at least I hope you have fun and learn lots.


	10. Chapter Ten

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

Erin blinked owlishly through the rectangular glasses, decorated with a fancy butterfly wing design at the sides of the frames and a small box attached over one of the lenses, which had just given to her by the Berceuse. "So I'll able to see these wavelengths, or the 'flow' of mana because they have augmented reality capacities like Google Glass?"

Aria nodded. "My own optic implants have different lenses." Her eyes flickered various shades of lights and colors one after another until returning to olive-green. "Mana is energy and it can be detected with a composite spectrum analysis. Infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetism...I managed to pinpoint the wavelength." She then pointed at the item sitting on Erin's nose. "Those glasses have enough technology to allow for a visual representation of the wavelength, although they can't detect all of the details." The second Outsider then released her clenched fist, she revealed a wilted flower sitting in the middle of a metallic hand. "Now look at this. Can you see the mana?"

The fourth Outsider nodded. "I can. I see the flower as if some dust was floating away. Is that what mana actually looks like, it really can't be seen?

"Can you see UV radiation? Can you see in the dark?" Aria taunted the other woman and then lowered the flower in her hand down to Erin's height. "The best way to refer mana in this experiment is radiation, which is used to permeate the cells and matter in this world. Now, pay close attention to what I will be doing because you're going to try it after me." The Berceuse sternly looked at the almost dead plant. "Love and will are our power and our price in this world. Just focus your will and determination or just emotions into a finite statement and concentrate on what you want to happen. Makes sense?"

"Got it."

Satisfied with the answer that she received, the speakers around Aria's neck began to emit a soft melodic tune. The fourth Outsider watched in fascination as multi-colored strings like lines and notes in a music pentagram surrounded the flower, first pouring inside its faded petals and then encompassing it entirely. Moments later it appeared as if it had just been freshly plucked from the ground. "Wow."

Aria smirked at the Outsider's astonished expression and handed another half-dead flower to Erin. "A song is not needed, but I discovered that I can make mana 'ride' on the sound's waves, energy on energy, making it easier to use and direct for my purposes. I can even make it jump and amplify it through various nodes to create an area network of effect." She then gestured towards Erin's open palm and crossed her arms. "Now it's your turn. Show me what you can do."

The college graduate looked at the Berceuse with a bit of uncertainty, though swallowed her anxiety and just sang with no musical number in mind. But when the gaze of the hardened soldier of fortune looked down at her hand, there was no trace of mana within the plant whatsoever.

The blonde mercenary frowned and tapped her chin. "So it doesn't look you're able to transfer mana with this method. Instead we might need to try something you enjoy and place all of your heart into it." She hummed thoughtfully before an idea came to mind. "According to Aegis, it seems that the sphinx included some questions regarding to a television show called...Doctor Who? I remember reading about that old show. Maybe we got stored in our databases somewhere, possibly even the episodes that come after your time..."

"Yes…. But who is Aegis?" Erin blinked and thought about it. "...And why would the sphinx even say those things instead of the traditional riddle?" A small frown then appeared on her face. "I wasn't too fond of the new episodes that came out. I preferred the Tenth Doctor since he seemed a bit more human while the Twelfth was...like a giant kid who couldn't even tell sarcasm when someone insulted him."

"10th? I thought there were like 30 or 40 doctors." I Aria continued her evaluation, ignoring Erin's other questions.

Erin looked at the mercenary in surprise. "No. There's supposed to be thirteen in total. Unless the writers decided to expand it further for more viewing ratings."

"Only up to your point in time. Remember I come from a farther point in future than your time" The Berceuse eyes flickered in a small display of what sci-fi would have looked for someone coming from the times the other foreigners did. She then shrugged "Anyways, try saying some quotes that really have had an impact on you as a person. It might be more prominent for you than a melody. Focus on what _you_ want to happen to the flower on a cellular level. Mitochondrias are an excellent target to focus where the mana should flow into." The Berceuse then perked for a second and waved her hand in a dismissive way. "Oh, and **don't** ever try to use negative emotions. That causes anti-mana, but that is a lesson for another day."

Erin did that, vehemently reciting philosophy from the Tenth Doctor and other characters while she watched,some of those same strings appear around the flower, though they seemed a little….shaky, unstable, small and weak compared to the strong and steady flow that Aria produced.

"What you've done would be considered mini incantations. In my case those are small chantings that have little but have finite effects. Similar to magic spells in video games." She huffed and massaged her temples." After spending almost a half an hour of Erin using this method, the Berceuse halted the session." This is a really good progress all things considered, but it really doesn't give the result that we need for you to use mana at its full capacity." The Berceuse crossed her arms. "I'd like if we had more time to monitor and research the process better, but there should be other ways to do this. The question is how to narrow it down without wasting too much time."

Erin stared the Berceuse with a slightly glum look on her face before she went into the kitchenette. "I hope we'll figure it out soon."

Aria smiled a little, following the Outsider just to lean against the marble counter as she watched her guest began opening up random cabinets. " Don't get too upset. In comparison to the other Outsiders you are improving exponentially." The Berceuse looked curiously at what Erin was doing, paying attention to Erin's furrowed brow. "I doubt they could even comprehend the science jargon I rattled off to you as casual verbal interchanges, let alone manage to mold mana." Aria winked at Erin, digital hues flickering ever so slightly. "Let's take a small rest before trying again. Sound good?"

Erin made eye contact with the Berceuse before she nodded, holding up a tin can of Earl Gray Tea. "Would you like some? Don't really care much for the stuff myself but I could use a break from hot chocolate and water as you might from your...preferred beverages through the time period." The fourth Outsider remembered seeing Aria gulp down alcohol quite often in their brief meetings with each other, and promptly pulled two clay mugs from an adjacent cabinet where she found the can. "I don't know how mana affects a person when it's constantly used, but you must be tired after this lesson.. Or from your normal activities. Especially with everything that is going on with that portal opening up all of a sudden."

"I'll take you on that offer." Aria replied, taking a seat at the breakfast bar so she could see what else Erin was doing. "And to answer your question, using mana constantly is indeed very tiring. If you don't have enough will to sustain the amount of mana, then it can drain your life away." She half exhaled and half hummed. "But using it to teach you is no big deal. Especially when I might need to go out at a moment's notice." The Berceuse then twisted her head to crack her neck and proceed to start cracking her fingers, one by one.

"Makes sense." Erin then decided to ask something that she've been wondering. "Um… If you don't mind me asking...what exactly is your relationship with the Bandersnatch? He is supposed to be a Frumious Beast, an actual competitor to the Role Holders in terms of strength and wit, right? Why do you still exercise caution around him when it seems that he has no qualm with following your orders? Like a puppy I might add. Is it because you have a contract with him as well?"

"The Bandersnatch?" Aria blinked. "Well, he's what you call a Frumious Beast; they're faceless who have roles too, the oldest ones actually, except that they are mixed with their Holders you could say. They _are_ their Roles. There is no difference between a Holder and a role for them. If there's nasty stuff that's gotta get done, they're the guys you want to go to." Aria began to pull out a cigar but stooped and put it back in her pocket. "But does not change the fact that they are monsters. The Bandersnatch is meant to devour the afterimages whose clocks have been destroyed beyond repair, else those would become monsters too. And yes, he has a deal with me." She shrugged her shoulders.

Erin blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well, that makes sense. If they take care of deeds that would be considered horrible by the people of this dimension, it makes sense that they'd be monsters. Did you want any cream or sugar with your tea? I can understand that the Bandersnatch can be dangerous...but doesn't it unnerve you a bit on how such a dangerous creature can act like a faithful puppy to you?"

"No. Just want it straight as it comes out of the kettle." Aria leaned on the bar, using her own breasts as pillows for a second. "As for why the Bandersnatch seems so.. dedicated to me, I can guess partly it is from the effects of the Game, but …there's something else. He seems familiar to me and albeit myself, I find his presence not that threatening." She extended her hands towards Erin, holding her hands open and expecting for that tea. "He also willingly made a deal with me that really made him my puppy, and I have no idea why."

"Cup of tea, straight as it comes from the kettle. Coming right up!" Erin responded with a small smile, now entirely focused on procuring some tea for the both of them. Was it odd...to consider possibly the most dangerous person in Wonderland as more of a friend than an ally at this point? It was not uncommon to thank either with a nice cup of tea for everything they have done to help someone, especially an amnesiac basket-case like herself. Or is it wrong to even think like that as well?

After the college graduate grabbed the whistling kettle off the stove and poured piping hot water into the mugs, she remained oblivious to Aria's slightly widening gaze as the Berceuse watched Erin's every move.

"Um, Aria? Is something wrong?"

"Look at the cups." Aria snapped her fingers and the vision on the glasses Erin is wearing reactivates.

Those four words were all it took to make Erin's sadness dissipate to utter shock when she saw what Aria was referring to. "Y-You're kidding me!" Erin sees that there was definitely a more substantial amount of mana radiating from the mugs than their prior experiment with the flower or what the mini incantations produced. " I-I did that from just making tea?!"

Aria grinned wolfishly at the Outsider, excitement evident in her olive-green orbs. "I think I know what our next lesson is gonna be, Erin."

Erin looks up between Aria and the cup of tea "Could the art of cooking...be the answer? "

"There's only way to find out."

Erin eyed the Berceuse cautiously before taking a small sip of her tea, handing the other mug to Aria. "Right...but what exactly should I made since the recipe might make a difference in the amount of mana being produced?"

The second foreigner rubbed her hands together in glee. "That's the beauty of science: trial and error until perfection is reached, or pretty fucking close! We can definitely start with easy recipes, and then get into more complex ones that require more concentration as well as dedication. Shit, it's like Christmas from the XX century came! And I'm not even religious!"

"...Hurray?"

Three time periods ticked by as the two women fussed around the kitchenette, using almost all of the pantry items to make different recipes that were a staple back in Britain, such as blueberry scones and even greasy fish and chips. Constantly, Aria's eyes flickered and showed her information received from transmissions. Nonetheless, she kept track of the activities and even tried her hand at cooking, something she admitted she hadn't done in a while.

However, the food Erin cooked were passable in taste and presentation, the dishes themselves admittedly were plain and simple compared to the food from the Berceuse's original culture. After all, The United Kingdom had never been known for its cuisine, whereas the food from Aria's countries was deemed as humanity's heritage back on in her own dimension. Except for the baked goods of course, Erin's country topped on that branch of food apparently at least in personal taste.

Just when things were about to get interesting, Aria received a new transmission through the comm system. The Berceuse turned to Erin and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I do need to deal with this...unexpected development on the field. It seems I'll have to offer that dream demon a deal and prepare for possible occurrences on the front lines." She smirked devilishly at the thought of extracting some much needed compensation onto Nightmare.

A small shudder crawled down Erin's spine at the bloodthirsty expression on Aria's face, but tried to brush it off. "Um, all right. Did you want to stop the lessons until things are straightened out?"

"Oh, there's no need to do that. I've already called in a substitute teacher just in case this would happen."

"Huh?"

Erin's astonishment, Aria's shadow rose from the floor and took the form of an ocelot. "Erin, this is Aegis. He will be answer questions that you might have."

"Greetings." The ocelot nodded, the deep male voice with a thick Russian accent coming from the shadows. The fourth Outsider blinked at him in surprise before she smiled sheepishly, waving a hand at the sudden intruder. "Er, hello?" Aegis just lowered its spotted head again in another nod, ears twitching at the sound a bell going off.

Aria sniffed the air. "Something smells good."

"T-Thanks." The college graduate murmured, swiveling on the ball of her foot towards the stovetop.

"Save one for me. I'll be going now." Aria turned the the ocelot. "Aegis, start colloquial speech pattern. Report as needed. Support request for Erin Oswald acknowledged."

"Order confirmed."

Without any more words, the Berceuse left without a single sound and when Erin turned around with two patches of freshly baked cupcakes from the scorching oven she found herself alone except for the ocelot creature.

She blinked in surprise, but tried to brush it off and continue making the final touches on her latest batch of sweets - one being red velvet and the other flavor dark chocolate, both she had learned from Uncle Sal when he was alive - Aria's monotone voice suddenly emitted from the ocelot.

"I just thought of an experiment, Erin. I have two lab rats that I would like you to test these cupcakes on: Elliot and Leo."

Erin looked up from the counter to the avatar with half amusement and curiosity. "I had a hunch that Mister March would be would be a guinea pig after the trouble that he has put the both of us through, but why Leo should be included in this experiment as well, Aria? I may not still be on… good terms with the bloke...but I admit that I feel a 'little' guilty for trying to poison him."

Aria immediately responded. "First of all, two lab rats can easily offer different results, especially in opposite environments. In this case, when Leo got injured at the Spring Festival, I had to injected him with mana so his healing could accelerate. He should be used to it by now, so the mana you'll be giving him will be a power boost and I want to see the effects caused by mana different than mine. It may be useful when things get dicey on the front lines and the data will be invaluable. Secondly, you're _not_ poisoning anyone unless you want to. Using mana to de-stabilize the molecular structures on this world is too advanced for you at the moment. With this, we're just testing a reaction. I might do the same myself with my dogs given the chance. The more data we collect from these experiments, the more we can exploit and use it to our advantage over this world."

The ocelot then jumped by where the cupcakes rested on the counter and curiously pawed at them in a fluid move; the innocent gesture looked cute but unsettling, its eyes changing the color of their glow constantly.

Erin blinked at the ocelot in surprise before she sighed, dividing the cupcakes evenly and offered a piping hot one to Aegis.

"Want to try them?"

The avatar stared at the confectionary for a moment until it opened its jaw, dislodging both fangy maxillary and expanding their size to swallow it one bite. Aegis munched on the treat twice and gave an opinion with his strangely deep and masculine voice. "The cupcakes are fine. Would taste better if there was more icing. Do you have any other leftover?"

Erin blinked at Aegis in surprise. "There's more icing on the counter. But...how can you taste the cupcake when you are, well, pardon my rudeness, when you are made from the Berceuse's shadows and technology?" Bright green orbs saw him staring at another cupcake, his tail swaging eagerly from side to side. "This one had much more icing on it than the previous one." and handed it to him.

Aegis opened its jaw again, devouring the second treat and licking his lips and whiskers. "You're not being rude Erin, it's a legitimate question. And to answer it for you, I can 'taste' the mana and analyze the molecular composition of things in this world, it just takes a simple spectrum analysis."

Erin tilted her head to the side slightly at the response. "I guess...that makes sense." She then stood up and went back to dividing up the cupcakes into even portions. "Aegis...or Aria...do you think that I've changed at all since I came here? I know it's been a long while, but I can't help wondering if I really making a difference in myself as a person...or am I still indecisive and naive like Alice Liddell, who can't even tell the difference between a genuine love for someone and friendship?"

A momentary silence fell upon the room until Aria's voice came through Aegis. "You have changed, Erin Oswald. In the beginning, you wanted to learn the truth. Instead of turning away from it as Alice would have done, or delude yourself into willing ignorance like that other girl, you accepted it. However you have yet to reach another stage in this new life because you haven't made a decision and move on with it. But that really doesn't matter right now since it's not your Game yet, so you still have plenty of time to figure out what to do."

"Y-you really think so?" Erin would have liked to see the Berceuse's face, but she could not decide whether a smile or straight face on Aria's face would be more insightful.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't think that would be the case, Erin. You should know that by now." Aegis watched in mild fascination while the fourth Outsider released a small sigh. "That's...a relief. To be honest, that is one of things about Wonderland that I really don't like. The pressure to love someone in an allotted amount of time. But since the current Game isn't mine, I have a little more time to make her decision. I just hope...that Leo can wait that long. If he continues to survive as he is doing now, I mean." Erin said while finishing icing the other cupcakes.

"Now think of someone that can't biologically love, but is stuck handling assholes who don't take 'no' for answer, all while her Game is going on. At least not all of them know I exist." Aria said before Aegis tilted his head ever so slightly to the side and continued with his own voice.

"Since we're on the subject of romantic interests, why not take a break from these lessons and deliver some of the cupcakes to Leo? He should still be stationed right near the portal with the Bandersnatch and the others." Erin raised an eyebrow at the ocelot, ignoring the slightly burning feeling on her face.

"That sounds nice, but is it really a good idea to head into an area where other Role Holders might try to kidnap or use me as a hostage?"

"You won't be going alone. I've already taken the liberty of contacting Ava and assigning her to be your escort for the next four time changes." Aegis rolled on his back and exposed his belly, his thick Russian accent purring. "I'll be going with you too."

"Will you be there as well, Aria? At the site, I mean." Erin asked.

Aria's voice came from the shadows around and not only from Aegis."Only if there is a very good reason for it."

Erin nodded. "That makes sense. But before I forget, there is something I've been wondering about for a while. I wanted a second opinion on it before making the choice."

"Fire away."

Aegis watched with mild interest as Erin suddenly left the kitchenette to pull out a beaded purse from behind the breakfast bar. Unzipping it, the fourth Outsider pulled out a silver gun and placed it on the marble counter. "I've been meaning to get this thing examined, but I haven't had time. And with everything that is going right now with the Role Holders, I was wondering if you know anyone who could….provide an upgrade of sorts."

Aegis eyes shone for a second as he scanned the item. "That is a gun. I can provide specific data but I'm sure that's not what you want," He chuckled. "If by improving you want to add some silencer to it, that is easily manageable. However, you should perhaps use the Vorpal Blade."

Erin looked at the ocelot in confusion. "The _what_?"

"The Bandersnatch lent it to you a long time ago. Don't you still have it?"

Aegis questioned, a transparent ear twitching for a split second.

Emerald orbs blinked owlishly until she remembered a silver blade with an elegantly twisted wooden handle, its sides embedded with intricate floral patterns. The college graduate then felt something heavy in her right hand. She looked down and saw the very weapon that she just envisioned moments ago, black tendrils that expanded from Erin's shadow seemingly wanting to pull it away, but the blade glowed and the tendrils relented before disappearing completely.

"W-What the-?!"

"So you do have the Vorpal Blade," Aegis purred in satisfaction. "Do you know what it is and its functions?" Erin just shook her head, still surprised at what just happened.

"Um, no. I just remember holding it at the Spring Festival and acting on its own. At that time...it felt like I was being controlled by it."

"Yes, and that's because you were the one being wielded." Aegis blinked at the fourth Outsider, tail swiveling from left to right. "The Vorpal Blade, along with the Winxy Pistol, are the two most powerful weapons from this dimension. They encase and represent the power from each side of the Looking-Glass in Wonderland; the Unicorn for the Winxy Pistol, and the Lion for the Vorpal Blade. They can absorb and hold mana and cut through anti-mana. But it is in the hands of a foreigner when they become almost unstoppable, because you can keep powering them and they will continue fighting."

Erin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So, is that why it took control of me back then? Because I was almost like a power generator for the Vorpal Blade and I just keep feeding it?" The dark-haired woman raised the weapon towards the ceiling, the light reflecting off of its sharp edge. "I guess that makes sense. Still, why has it been hidden until just now?"

Aegis shrugged. "Sort of. You were powering it, but since you didn't know how to weld it properly, it simple took matters into its edge and controlled your actions for better results. It is not a common weapon after all; and truthfully, I suspect the Madness that still surrounds you kept it hidden in the shadows before it answered your summons."

"Madness? A-Are you referring to the Madness?"

"I suppose the best way to describe it is a virus. It can infect an Outsider if they inhabit this dimension too long without the support of a Role Holder. It affects each foreigner differently, but the results are still enough to strike fear even in the clock of the most cold-blooded Role Holders. That's one of the reasons why some of these assholes rush the Game to completion, so that the prize isn't completely soiled with Madness. But they never tell you this stuff anyway."

"Like how they would never say that what comes out of their mouth is a lie?"

"Pretty much. Although, I barely noticed the Madness just now. I can't do anything to get rid of it, but Aria has the power to remove it." Aegis raised a paw towards the weapon in Erin's hand, and turned the relic to a silver ring within a quick flash of light. "There. That will make it easier for you to carry it around." The ocelot's eyes then glowed as his gaze soon turned to the pistol still sitting on the breakfast bar.

"As for your other weapon, I'd strongly recommend taking it to Enzo. He owns a flower shop in the town but runs a firearm business on the side for the organization. Pay him a visit before things around Wonderland get nasty, all right?He can also provide you with another weapon, if you desire to do so."

Erin looked at Aegis and nodded, grabbing the pistol and placing the weapon back into her purse after double-checking the ammo and smoke pellets before staring at the ring. "Aria….is it odd that even when I'm not particularly fond of guns, that I feel safe knowing I have one on me?"

"Sorry. My user is unavailable at the moment," Aegis commented "Pardon my bluntness, but I'll answer your question in my user's words: Don't forget that when you came to this world, your main weapon was that electric baton. You didn't have the stomach to kill unnecessarily and you still dislike it but the nature of Wonderland is to help an Outsider adapt to it, and that is a trait you have above the Role Holders who are pretty much set in their ways. And if an Outsider wants to survive without getting fucked by one of them, she should be able to hold her own ground and fight with no hesitation."

xRVx

Once Ava had arrived at the office in a prompt manner, Erin followed the bartender through the underground until the two of them arrived in the back-room of a perfume shop. Luckily it was not that far from where the portal was located; hovering over the entrance of a tunnel and right in front of what looked like a stage, ready to be used for a concert.

When they did reach the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Penumbra Boulevard, the fourth Outsider tried to stay as close to Ava as possible due to the number of faceless men working and trying to prevent Role Holders from coming near it by building a barricade. It was as if Erin had walked straight into the backstage area of a theater than the center of a war between the Lullaby and the Role Holders. It made her really wonder if was a good idea to come here after all.

"Oh! Look whom I found!" Ava announced in a sing-song voice while pointing out at Leo talking towards a group of men before she not-so gently pushed Erin towards them, a playful smirk on her pretty face.

"The explosions in the amusement park are keeping the marquis occupied for now. We also rallied the radicals at the castle and they went on without we needing to do anything else, but I don't think they'll last long. As for Clover Tower... -" This conversation seemed to go while Leo continued his discussion with a squad leader, at least until he saw both women behind himself and promptly excused himself to see them. He looked at Ava in surprise, then at Erin.

"Ava! Why did you bring Erin here? Did something happen back at HQ?! You know this may turn into a battlefield soon, especially being so close to the front lines!" Leo exclaimed with obvious worry and consternation in his voice.

Bright green orbs widened slightly. I was right. Coming here….was a bad idea after all. Erin thought, feeling guilty for making Leo feel like this, especially when there are other matters that have become more important with each minute that passed between the Lullaby and the Role Holders. Looking at the plastic bag in her hand, the fourth Outsider held it up to Leo.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you worried like this. I just...wanted to give you these since you've probably haven't eaten since this operation began."

If Leo had eyes like the woman standing near him, they would have widened to the size of saucers. "Y-You came all the way to give something so special to me?" The well-dressed faceless felt like a shy schoolboy accepting a token of affection all over again for a moment, before he grinned and took the plastic bag. "Thank you, Erin. I'll definitely enjoy what you've made for me." He took a cupcake in his mouth and gobbled it down with gusto, surprised to feel a power boost immediately.

Erin smiled shyly. "I'm glad you like them." Since she was still carrying the glasses that Aria lent her earlier, she could see the small power boost around Leo. She was sure that his energy would increase if he continued to eat the sugary treats, almost coated with rainbow-colored swirls of mana.

Leo shook his head as he ate another cupcake, this time a dark-chocolate one. "How can I not? Especially that I know that this enjoy this when these cupcakes were made with love and delivered with such care?" He smiled at her. "Thank you. When this is all done, I'll definitely return the favor."

The pair shared another smile and chatted for a little while amongst the bustling crowd, at least until a certain Frumious Beast caught sight of them. The Bandersnatch stepped forward to pull Leo away until he was held back and pulled away to a distance by a buxom woman with wheat-colored hair. Ava smiled at the perplexed male.

"C'mon, let them chat." Ava said "They look cute, don't you think dear Bandy, oh so fluffy and powerful Frumious Beast?"

Bandy is somewhat weirded at her familiarity "Maybe, but all squad leaders must get ready and he is not only a squad leader but also an operation coordinator. " He let out out a small growl. "We're going to receive unwanted visitors way earlier than expected. The Role Holders are finally noticing where the real action is and are coming, so this place will be a big combat zone soon. Erin Oswald needs to get away from here, and quickly."

"Yeah, but you can spare them some minutes." Ava waved her hand dismissively. " How often is it that a foreigner would pay attention to a faceless? It's something that can change a faceless life, right Biggs?" Ava grinned. "Especially when this particular relationship might actually change the entire history of Wonderland?"

"I suppose so… " The Bandersnatch started before he did a double take and gaped at the woman while his eyes widened and his fur ruffled. "Wait, what!? How did you called me!?"

Ava chuckled. "As if the 'Fa' key tattoo on your shoulder isn't enough clue." she flickered his forehead. If she had eyes she would be rolling them. "More importantly, when are you going to tell a certain someone who you really are? She misses both of you." Her smile turned sad for a moment "Our Lady misses her top lieutenants, you were her right and left hand since the very beginning. And she refuses to take any other lieutenants who are qualified to fill that role."

The Bandersnatch frowned at the faceless woman and turned away, his tail, although ruffled, went between his legs. "When it's time. Right now, with things the way that they are, it would put it at a disadvantage for Our Lady to be distracted by anything else. And I'll be damned if we lose the portal to those fucking Role Holders. Once all is settled and we have won, I'll tell her. Although I'm not sure how she'd react."

"We won't lose the portal, Biggs." She patted his shoulder. "And I guess I'll keep on calling you Bandy for now then, so chill out! Besides, we don't just have our Sun to guide us to the way of power and happiness~! We have more power than any territory with two foreigners."

"Erin still has a lot to learn about us and this world." Biggs commented. Ava pouted and lightly punched his shoulder. "But she learns fast and she is smart. "

Ava hummed in agreement. "True! Still a little inexperienced, but Erin also has a very good presence to ease our leader. Even though I understand why Our Lady pushes herself as she does for all of her cards, she needs to do more than just work. Go out, have some fun, or at least indulge herself in a diversion that is fun and not involving experiments in the lab. The Madness is always crawling and waiting, all the stress does not helps her in the slightest. In a sense, the Moon is in the sky for the purpose to support our Sun, and vice versa~!"

"There's a reason why she's being called the 'little moon' by the Lullaby and even myself, Ava." The Bandersnatch smiled.

"Really? I thought it was because she is cute as a button~!"

The Frumious Beast snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "Bleh. I prefer women to be born-leaders and to be... fully developed in more than one area. " He then scratched the back of his head and wagged his tail. "But we all know I have only eyes for our leader. Always have, always will. And trust me~" He winked. " She is very well developed everywhere."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "I didn't need to know that, asshole. Still, Erin a much better for Leo. He happens to adore women who are petite, at least that's what I've heard recently!" She sniggered.

The Bandersnatch's eye twitched. "Don't you do anything else besides listen to gossip?"

"For your information, my business thrives on it! How else will I make a living? Selling candied apples in the town for ten time changes?"

Just when their conversation was about to continue, both of them saw a certain blue-haired Role Holder and their expressions hardened. The Bandersnatch glanced at Ava. "Get Erin Oswald away from here while there's still time. I have a feeling that things are about to get interesting and messy around here."

Ava nodded and walked over to Erin, giving the Outsider a small smile as she patted the college graduate on the shoulder. "It's time to leave, my dear. I'd like for us to stay a little longer, believe me, but-"

"I-I understand." Erin said as she looked up at Leo. "Please...come home safe and sound." The young woman almost flinched when a gloved hand rested on her cheek, with Leo smiling down at her in an almost loving manner.

"I'll be alright. Just follow Ava and get someone where safe, okay?" He then placed his hands over her shoulders for a few seconds. "Please be safe."

"Okay." Erin nodded and smiled back, her heart beating just so slightly faster. The Winxy Pistol inwardly cooed at the adorable sight before she was suddenly summoned by a Lullaby operative. Casting a glance back at the pair, Ava quietly sneaked away and hoped that whatever it was that they needed did not take long. She preferred meetings that were short and to the point.

Meanwhile, the Frumious Beast was trying to get Julius to pull his own weight around the site but the Role Holder refused. "I've done enough as it is trying to make sure Ace doesn't do anything stupid while we're here. I even claimed to the public that this 'performance' was my event because the last one had been interrupted." He then crossed his arms with a deep frown, his mind venturing back to the Spring Festival. "And it seems like you have all the help you need to get the portal stabilized before that train arrives." Cobalt-blue orbs looked around. "Still, why the need to do it here when almost every person could see it from any high point in the vicinity?"

The silver-haired male released a low growl and bared his pearly-white fangs at the Clockmaker. His personal dislike for Julius could not be more than obvious in the icy voice he used to address the Role Holder. "Don't forget that you did sign a contract that your Role must enforce, even if you are killed and replaced. But then you would damn the replacement too. Of course, I don't have a problem with something like that because I am more than willing to devour anyone even my other selves." The Bandersnatch smiled toothily. "And thanks to Aria, I don't even need to devour your roles before it roles eats you away."

Julius involuntarily flinched but his expression remained hard.

"In any case, it would be in your very best interest, Undertaker, to keep your nose out of places it shouldn't be or else you'll just miss your chance to talk to the Berceuse~. Then again it may not happen of course, given how busy she has become all of a sudden. And FYI, _never_ question the Berceuse and her actions." The Bandersnatch casually flexed his poisoned talons in the air. "That's just being rude."

"And what if I am? I have a right to know what is going on in my own territory!" Julius's brow furrowed.

"A right that you need to earn, not demand like a snot-nosed brat. And it may be your territory in name, but now it's part of Aria's domain. You've never cared for it after all, and from here on out it belongs to my Lady's forces, who've been managing it since the Spring Festival." The Bandersnatch smirked at the Role Holder's expression, though it dropped slightly when the damned eyesore of a male holder specimen saw Erin talking to his subordinate.

"What is she doing here?" Julius demanded. "That woman could be killed!"

"And how is that any of your damned business? It's not as if you care, given to the fact that it's not even her Game. " The Frumious Beast raised an eyebrow. "She'll come and go as she pleases, and it so happens that she wanted to pay someone a visit." He then sneered. "Unless the Lady is right and you actually want her t-"

"Don't. Even. Finish. That. Sentence." Julius returned the sneer with a threatening growl, a scarlet hue spreading across from his nose to the tips of his ears. "I was very clear before on who I truly care about, wasn't I?"

"Why not? If you really have feelings for Erin Oswald, then I have another legitimate reason to kill you~!" The Bandersnatch growled again, raising his clawed hands and taking a position to attack Julius. "You couldn't have Alice Liddell, so you moved onto Aria as soon as she set foot in Wonderland. But it wasn't enough, was it? You betrayed her for the slip of a girl who rejected your feelings in the first place! Such a greedy, greedy bastard~. So insatiable that not even one Outsider can satisfy you for long. You sicken me. Just as you sicken my dear Lady."

"ALL I WANT IS FOR ERIN NOT TO BE BROKEN! IS IT REALLY SO AWFUL THAT I DON'T WANT THAT SAME FATE BEFALL ONTO THIS OUTSIDER?" Julius roared. "I KNOW I MADE A MISTAKE, A TERRIBLE MISTAKE! I KNOW I COMMITTED A TERRIBLE SIN THAT MIGHT NEVER BE REPENTED IN THE EYES OF YOUR SUN. MY SUN. AND UNTIL THE END OF TIME ITSELF, I WILL CORRECT WHAT I'VE DONE BEFORE ERIN GETS DRAGGED INTO THIS MESS!" Once the Role Holder finished his rant, his breathing was erratic with a hand firmly coiled around his wrench, ready to fight the Bandersnatch if needed be. However, his blood ran cold when the sound of gunfire echoing across the area reached his ears.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The Bandersnatch turned to his men and yelled. "TAKE COVER!"

An explosion occurred, then another. But the second one was smaller than the one he just heard near the border of the Hatters' territory. The Bandersnatch shot a nasty glare at the surprised Undertaker. "Get your ass moving! We're being attacked! Find the idiot knight and make sure those bastards don't cut through the front lines! Especially the Hatters! It's your territory, right? Go take care of it like the Role Holder you _claim_ to be!"

And that is exactly what Julius did.

* * *

Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the long-awaited installation of **Red Velvet** to be published until now; work has gotten busier after the New Year, so now I'm at my job six days a week! Nonetheless, I can say with absolute certainty that this story will continue. Thank you so much to the readers who have waited so patiently, I couldn't have come through without your support! And so without further ado, here are a few words from **chaos-dark-lord**!

 **Chaos-dark-lord: Hello and great year to everyone. As you can see we are working hard on advancing this story. Stay tuned and tell us what you think. Who do you think it's attacking? And are you glad that Leo is back or are you wondering where Elliot is? See you on the next chap.**


	11. Chapter Eleven

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

Regardless of the progress he had made with Erin over the last 25 time changes or so, Elliot was forced and come back to reality when he was reminded just how much patience Blood Dupre had when he wanted someone dead: none. When the Mad Hatter was informing his second-in-command that he wanted both the fourth Outsider and the leader of their most hated and slipper enemy delivered to him on a silver platter, suddenly, a rip in the sky was seen along from Blood's office; and not but a few seconds later, they received a report that the Undertaker, a normally uninterested and neutral party, has already secured the border of his territory in an equally unusual method.

Now, here was the March Hare leading the syndicate's fast vanguard against the faction's barricades, dodging and firing bullets. Elliot 's ears twitched and turned around, aiming his gun before firing rapidly. "Keep moving! We've come this far, and we're sure as hell not leaving without paying these bastards back for all that they've done!" He cried over the smokescreen of gunpowder and debris, swearing under his breath a few seconds later when he barely managed to dodge a few well-aimed snipers from the rooftops.

Given the lack of weaponry upon them, it seemed that the enemy hadn't been able to position themselves completely yet. Upon this realization, Elliot turned to his own forces and gave them more orders. "Keep an eye out for any other vantage points where the enemy can take us out! If one of them is still breathing, either pump them full of lead or incapicitate them! They're bound to know something about the foreiginers we've gotta capture! Got it?!"

"Yes, sir~!"

The second-in-command of the criminal syndicate did not bother responding. He just kept killing and re-loading his guns, advancing through the first barricade without any regard to the death of his own forces, all the while wondering where Erin was. I hope that she's not in this mess. If she is...then I'll really have finish her off. Like I couldn't do in the forest. Or at least make it seem real enough to receive validation from the vanguard, and get her away from Blood's eyes. He gulped at the thought of lying to Blood, but he had to bring Erin to a safe place so that he could figure out some way to prevent her Madness from spreading any further without having the Mad Hatter question his loyalty.

Elliot's forces kept advancing at an accelerating rate. They were able to penetrate the organization's forces by infiltrating a small number of operatives inside of the territory instead of attacking from outside the border, and once the first barricade had been taken over by the Hatters, some of Elliot's subordinates were able to secure a Lullaby card as a hostage to be questioned. But it was a stubborn bitch, remaining absolutely silent until deciding to spit in Elliot's face when he asked about Erin Oswald's whereabouts.

"Our Little Moon will never fall into your hands again, March Hare! She belongs with us, at the side of Our Lady to liberate Wonderland from the Role Holders!" The card who held the Lullaby operative pressed his gun further against her temple further, pulling back the safety back as the fanatical captive tilted her head at the orange-haired male. The woman smirked in a sardonic, smug manner. "I know that you'll kill me sooner or later, so how about we play a game? What do you say?"

"What do you want us to do, boss~? Keep or kill~?" One of the Hatter faceless asked standing nearby, ready to carry out any request that the March Hare had.

Instead of answering the question, Elliot wiped the spit off his face with the back of his hand before leveling an icy glare at the woman. "Where's the Berceuse?"

"Where?" She chuckled. "She is everywhere; the present, and future of Wonderland." The card smiled. "What would someone like me know? Or maybe I can guess if you tell me where the rest of the Hatters are. Your group is too small to take on the entire Lullaby organization~! "

"And yet here we are, pass the first barrier of your forces. How many of them are here?"

The card looked surprised, yet her unnerving grin just grew wider. "Oh, but your group is just a vanguard, isn't it? I guess that means that Blood will be with the main forces after all. But I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. The Mad Hatter is more of a threat to the Berceuse than you ever could be. After all, there's no else in Wonderland who kneels as low as Elliot March."

The orange-haired man felt his blood boil at the blatant insult but steeled the urge to shoot the card and continued the interrogation. "Does your Lady have any other supporters? A Role Holder? Faceless factions that she's paid off?"

"My Lady may have her own pets, but she doesn't need anyone's support. She is everyone's support," The card chuckled again, this time with demented glee. "And unlike your paid cards that fall under the influence of this world, we are willingly to fight by and for the Berceuse's cause without being given a single coin from her purse. But really, how many men do you actually have, Bloodhound? In this vanguard I can't see more than 40 remaining, and with those I can't see they possibly be more than a 100 if at all."

"Why does that matter?" Elliot answered. "Soon enough, we'll have your organization under our feet and then take back those Outsiders."

"You have no support then? It's only you amongst some dwindling numbers of your small regiment. Blood is on his way with the rest of his syndicate, including those infamous gatekeepers of his. Is that it? Or am I wrong?"

"How the fuck do you know that?" The March Hare snarled. Was there another snitch in their syndicate? Shit.

The card let out a guttural laugh. "You just told us yourself, March Hare. But playtime is over. It's time for us to free Wonderland from the Role Holders, and usher in a new era of liberation!"

Elliot glared at the hostage and turned to his subordinates. "Play with her for a bit. Blood wants this Aria character and Erin Oswald, and we need to get them now." Elliot ordered.

"I don't think so, Bloodhound~!"

Mauve orbs widened in shock as the prisoner struggled, moving fast to get an arm free and shoved something in her mouth. The card's body suddenly convulsed violently, and seconds later went limp. The hostage was dead. The March Hare swore when he saw froth foaming from the corners of her mouth. The Lullaby card look her own life with a cyanide pill. Fuck!

"What do we do now, boss~?"

Elliot stood up and looked ahead at the carnage beyond the first barricade. He had a bad feeling about the card's words and questions. "We keep moving. We have what we need as far as intel goes. Your orders haven't changed: search and destroy."

"Roger that~!"

And that was what happened; Elliot kept moving while more of his comrades were killed from left to right, he did not care. He just needed to get Erin and that monster Aria before anything else fucked up his plans.

Soon after passing through the second barrier of their enemy's territory, Elliot saw that the positions for heavy artillery were half prepared but still unoccupied; this meant that the vanguard were able to attack before the Lullaby could finish setting them up, and by what he was seeing, the faction was preparing total war. However, once he arrived towards the center of the area, his soon gaze fell upon a pair of armed cards escorting a dark-haired woman with bright green eyes away from the center of a small stage. As soon as he recognized them, the March Hare's vision was filled with red.

Erin Oswald was being protected by them. That meager card called Leo. The fucking bastard who tried to take away Elliot's Outsider, and that woman who called herself the 'Winxy Pistol'. Elliot turned back to his men and shouted, "There's our first target! Plow through with everything you've got, use bombs if you have to! Do not let the foreigner get away!"

Leaving his entourage to do their job, Elliot charged through the brawling with his raised weapons. He jumped acrobatically and started firing, then hopped from side to side in order to close the gap between them more quickly. Yet like a synchronized pair of dancers, the foreigner's escorts were able to dodge and counter his attacks with ease and left no room for the March Hare to take advantage of. Soon, Leo had pulled Erin behind him, acting as a shield while the Winxy Pistol continued to block the March Hare's aggressive attacks and prevent him from advancing further on the stage, feats that would be incredible for common low cards.

Eventually, at some point, the Hatters' second-in-command trained his guns on cards, each aimed at the center of their bodies and ready to kill. Although by now he knew that these were not simple cards, the pair had somehow gained the reflexes to almost rival a Role Holder through a heinous and unnatural method, most likely by that avatar of madness called Aria. "Let Erin Oswald go, and I might spare your lives."

Ava, the Winxy Pistol, laughed madly in mockery. "Oh? And who are you to make demands from us? You're not the Lady, and Erin sure as hell as doesn't deserve to be trapped on your web of lies like Alice and Jackie are. She and the Berceuse need each other, like the sun and moon orbiting the universe."

The orange-haired Role Holder glanced at the fourth Outsider, who shrunk back from his gaze behind Leo, bright green eyes wide with fear and caution. Deciding to throw the cards off their guard, he shifted one of his guns at Erin's head.

Bright green orbs widened in shock, and complexion turning bone-white at the familiar sight of a pistol being aimed at her. No matter how often this happens, an Outsider could never truly get used to seeing these weapons. Elliot knew, based on the various interactions and body language he has seen with Alice.

"So if I don't deserve her, and you obviously need her, then what better way to solve this little problem is to get rid of Erin Oswald altogether. After all, we already have those foreigners under our control and you have that monster called Aria. Besides, I've been wanting to test this baby out on an Outsider instead of useless cards like yourselves." Elliot compromised with a grin that was begging for blood. However, the expression itself was forced so as to let these individuals believe that Elliot March was not in love with Erin like they thought he was; he just wanted to get close to his target, and finish off what he started.

The young woman visibly winced for a split moment, and for some reason she held her ground and stared right back at the Hatters' second-in-command, even taking a step away from the faceless bodyguard and past the visage of Elliot's gun, to match the March Hare's steady gaze.

Elliot almost cringed at the sight of seeing such an expression. He really hurt her this time, and most likely he forever fucked up his own chances with her to be a life-long partner. The words that came from his mouth felt like acid, intentional to hurt the fourth Outsider and made his stomach churn at seeing tears started to fall down her face.

Having stopped to say such cruel word and think on their consequences nearly put two holes in Elliot's abdomen, courtesy of an enraged card named Leo. The projectiles were deflected of course, but the reminder was enough to make Elliot advance. Yet, before he or the cards could advance further on their respective enemy, a massive silver blur suddenly appeared before them, standing in between the Role Holder and the cards protecting the Lullaby's little moon. The Bandersnatch.

"I'll prey on your afterimage!" The Bandersnatch ruffled his fur and it turned into metal like needles, behind him his tail sways as his claws, oozing a poison that rot and burned the wood under them, dug into the floor. The Frumious Beast hissed, revealing rows of elongated sharp fangs at the March Hare.

The Frumious Beast hissed, revealing rows of elongated sharp fangs at the March Hare. "It's been a long time, rabbit man. We've got some catching up to do." The Bandersnatch's sharp fangs were bared and now he resembled what he truly was, a cruel and powerful beast.

Elliot's posture stiffened further at the remembrance of the large animal and bigger predator. The March Hare fought it at the Spring Festival through a reluctant alliance with a certain well-dressed card, and knew exactly what the Frumious Beast was capable of. Why it was here, he didn't want to ponder on it nor did he had the time for it.

"Enough of your crap. Release Erin, now." The Role Holder growled softly, pulled back the safety of his gun as he aimed it at the Frumious Beast's chest, feeling some deep internal despair at the sight of the despicable creature.

"Are you trying to demand anything here?" The Bandersnatch waged his tail towards the march hare so fast that the movement was a blur. From that, some of his fur began to shoot needle-like projections, landing right where Elliot stood. The Frumious Beast then released a low, threatening growl. "How did that little stunt work for you last time? It didn't, and it sure as hell won't work now." He released a low growl. "And Erin Oswald has made her choice. You can't interfere with a foreigner's decision. Deal with it like a man, fucker."

"Erin belongs to me!" Elliot growled. "No matter where she goes, no matter where she hides, I will _always_ find her." Upon this sudden declaration, his gaze immediately fell upon the fourth Outsider again. However the March Hare witnessed Erin instinctively curled herself closer to Leo's side, who tried to shield her with one hand. Above all else, Erin's face and eyes barely concealed the obvious horror, disgust, and cold determination.

"I'll rip you apart!" The Bandersnatch's fur stood on end and he was ready to pounce when the stage started to quake beneath their feet. The fourth Outsider clung to Leo's side.

"L-Leo! W-What's happening?!" Erin cried.

Ava shot a few rounds at the March Hare shouted, "The portal is becoming unstable. We need to get out of here, now!"

"L-Leo!" Erin screamed when a pillar of light came crashing down onto them and before she was engulfed into the portal.

Just as a pillar of light came crashing down onto the rest of them, the last thought that ran through Elliot's mind was this: how he could truly capture Erin's heart now, when she looked at that bastard in a way she didn't dare look at him? If anything, she looked at him with distrust and even fear.

xRVx

Julius looked around the area that seems to be covered in gunpowder and screaming civilians, narrowly dodging a few bullets while trying to get through the Lullaby comms system via an earpiece he took from a deceased soldier. He couldn't understand what was being said through the comms because it was in a language he didn't knew, yet he was well aware Aria did. In the common language of Wonderland, the Undertaker sent some orders to call Aria while he tried to summon Ace from the front lines, or wherever the hell the knave was.

The faceless on the comms soon informed Julius that Ace was still at the castle because of a revolt, but another new report just came in: the forces of Heart Castle have been divided and a large portion of them were ordered to head this way. Another report came in, revealing that Clover Tower and even the Amusement Park are also heading towards the portal, armed and ready to fight. As if the Hatter's main forces arriving already weren't enough problem already!

The Undertaker felt a sinking feeling in his stomach about coil as the anxiety increased by the second. He could feel that something bad was about to happen soon, something that Aria should stay as far away from as possible; but he knew well enough that she wouldn't. When his cobalt orbs scanned the chaotic area, watching the Lullaby faceless kill and die in the name of their lady, using their coordination to counter the greater numbers of the enemy, supporting each other instead of letting their peers be canon folder, he realized something else: these faceless were more than subordinates, more than mere comrades too. The Lullaby were a family. Her family. Children, even. And a 'mother' could never abandon them in their time of need…

Julius shot at a few of the Hatter's cards and reflected on Aria's behavior after the storm. Maybe a family was too much; then again, perhaps it wasn't like that. Aria could merely be protecting her interests. He didn't knew or understood, but he couldn't deny that he did felt envious of these mere cards. And in a way...this is my fault that she's adopted these cards instead of creating a new clock. Even when they believe Aria is a savior of some kind...they're really just a means to an end. Just like me. Except that I am the disposable one' The Role Holder's clock felt heavier at this epiphany, but soon he jolted out of his reverie when static in the earpiece came through, bringing a message from the Berceuse herself.

"Protect the portal at all costs." The Berceuse's distorted voice echoed from the comms. "I repeat, protect the portal at all costs."

Julius immediately logged onto the line. "A vanguard of the Hatters has stormed from inside the territory while their main forces are attacking from the border. They breached the perimeter already." His impromptu report only received an annoyed growl from the Berceuse.

"I'm aware of that _already_ , Clockmaker."

"What about Erin Oswald?" Julius mentioned quickly. "I saw the fourth Outsider within the vicinity not too long ago."

"You have your orders." Not even tasking a second of silence, Aria answered. "Make yourself useful Mortician. Try to keep the other Role Holders at bay. You are the Master of Time, so slow their time down, trap them in a never-ending loop, do whatever it takes. Just don't let them get near that portal. And before I forget, make sure to change daytime to 's the only thing you can serve for, don't you?"

Julius almost flinched at the mockery in Aria's cold and distorted voice, before he logged out of the comms system. Using his Role's ability would only make his Role consume more of what remained of himself, but he'd have to do it. He was about to leave the area until the Undertaker was stopped by a man in a cream-colored suit and an eccentric hat with thorny roses. Blood Dupre. Damn it all!

Both Role Holders pulled out their weapons - Julius with his small pistol and Blood his machine gun - to open fire when a melody suddenly echoed across the battlefield. The Undertaker looked around and saw one card carrying out the tune but with what seemed to be a different song, and then another voice joined, and then another. Soon, there was a song being played from different locations, enhanced by the speaker system installed around the Clockmaker's territory, and although the tunes were random, they all combined in a perfectly harmonious, synched madrigal.

Then, all of a sudden, another and more powerful voice emerged in the choir. The two men looked up to the top of the building that was facing the stage. Standing there was a beautiful woman dressed in armor, darkness surrounding her frame like swirls of black inky mist. But she wasn't alone. There were at least two dozen faceless surrounding her in concentric circles. The ones who were closer to this woman were positioned with sniper rifles while the rest stood closer to the edge of the building, mounting and aiming mortars.

Blood raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems we have an uninvited guest."

While the Hatter remained oblivious to who this stranger truly was, Julius immediately recognized Aria. She had arrived on the stage at last, just when the skies of Wonderland faded to night-time.

The reflectors of the stage turned to illuminate the armed mercenary as she continued singing, the tune expanding all around the place as the shadows around the foreigner began a feast to devour the darkness around it, expanding while her armor melted down into a curve-hugging cocktail dress as the shadow increased all around her. The only sounds that seemed to echo amongst the bloodshed and bullets were Aria's voice and the reprising melody.

* * *

Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the long-awaited installation of **Red Velvet** to be published until now; I've been working a lot and now on the road of recovery from a nasty virus. Thank you so much to the readers who have waited so patiently, I couldn't have come through without your support! And so without further ado, here are a few words from **chaos-dark-lord**!

 **Chaos-dark-lord: Do you think Blood will see a good show? And honestly, can you guess what Aria is planning? I know you do have ideas, the real incognita is where Erin is going to end up to and how she'll deal with what we have coming her way. So stay tuned for the next update!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also references from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

* * *

When Erin regained consciousness, the first thing that her bright green eyes saw was a wide and and intricate fresco ceiling. Depicted in it, sitting on a throne surrounded by faceless men and women was Aria Hadron Scherzi, holding a book in one hand while having the sun shining upon her, and darkness crawling from her shadow becoming the night that covered a map of the countries of Wonderland, including Diamond and Spades. All connected, all envisioned as her domain.

Slowly sitting up from her position on the floor, the college graduate looked around and saw rows of elevating seats as well as a large whiteboard at her back. Is this….some kind of lecture hall? Erin thought, trying to steady herself on a nearby table. But why would that light bring me here?

CRACK.

Erin's ears picked up at the sound and instantly materialized the Vorpal Blade into her hand, swinging it behind to point the tip at a surprised faceless man with jet-black hair that had appeared from a door behind her. The fourth Outsider blanched. "L-Leo?!"

"Erin!" Leo quickly came to her side and embraced the surprised woman. "Thank the Lady that you are all right! I appeared on the labs behind here, and it seems that all of the test subjects and materials seemed to be intact," Leo then averted her attention to the blade in her hand before a wide, silly grin stretched across his mouth. "That's incredible, Erin. Your reaction was very good, far beyond than what I've heard from your instructors."

The dark-haired foreigner flushed slightly at the unexpected praise before Leo's words slowly sunk into her mind. Wait. Lab research? Materials? Is...is this a facility of some kind? A research facility? Does...Is Aria using this place to do experiments? She looked at him with a raised brow. "Where are we, Leo?"

"We are at the university. It's been used as a research facility until it's completed," Leo explained, looking around the lecture hall. "But it seems we've been transported here by the light. Is it...a message from the Lady to stabilize the portal from here?" He frowned.

Erin looked at Leo in surprise. _He thinks that Aria is responsible for transporting us here? It's true that she is powerful, and there are some abilities I still don't know about. But...I don't think that's the case it's time. Something else did this. Something dark...something alive._ Shuddering a little at the thought and mostly likely the answer to Leo's question, she addressed her companion.

"Leo, do you think we're the only ones here though? Surely that light didn't just bring us to this place. There might be more people who've come here."

Leo looked around as if anyone would burst in. For a second he crossed his arms. "We weren't the only ones close by when we were transported and I don't know how ample the beam was, so there's a chance that more people were transported too. What I'm sure of is that this was indeed a connective portal." He then grabbed her hand. "In any case, let's start moving."

Erin nodded and followed Leo down the stairs, unable to shake off the feeling that something was going to happen soon. Good or bad, she honestly could not say, though one thing she was absolutely certain about: the balance of power in Wonderland is walking on a tightrope. Whatever happened there was only one thing to settle things. With a bullet.

xRVx

As the sweet fast paced melody continued to echo from Aria's speakers all across the Clock tower's territory, all of a sudden the Lullaby troops were overpowering the Role Holders' forces with revitalized energy via sound waves through the comms system and from mana jumping from singer to singer and soundwave after soundwave, forming a network that continues to enhance with each second and each note. Furthermore, the Berceuse herself arrived on the battlefield with supplies and reinforcements ready to die for Wonderland's freedom and their Lady.

Emerald orbs under a white top hat glanced around the area and also noticed the change on the battlefield. But that didn't bother The Hatter that much; after all, the Lullaby's puppetmaster has finally made a long-awaited appearance, and within point blank range nonetheless.

"My, my. You've put me through so much trouble. Taking control of my territories, my men, and even try to pull another Outsider into your scheme." Blood raised his tommy gun at the singing woman above. "But now, let's end it. Or should I stall it, just for my entertainment?" He pretended to think for a moment; his smile was forced, yet it perfectly conveyed his anger and bloodlust. "On second thought, I'll just get it over with. My patience has gotten a little thinner since the young lady left."

However, his words fell onto the Berceuse's deaf ears as she barely gave Blood any indication she listened to his little spiel. But seeing a small, smug smile tug her mouth made the Role Holder believe otherwise.

The Hatter raised a brow and crooked his gun at the target before a blur of dark blue and black suddenly appeared in between him and Aria. Blood's grin widened ever so slightly at the sight of the Clockmaker, his own silver pistol aimed at the center of the mafioso's clock.

Julius glared at Blood. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let you do as you please?"

The raven-haired criminal merely smirked. "That's not going be a mere attempt. I'll just keep trying until that woman's good as dead." He then started firing his gun, though the mortician evaded the Hatter's ill-intended bullets with ease.

Meanwhile and while ignoring the other Role Holders, Aria continued to sing in top of the building. However, at the same time through the speakers on her neck she carried out digital orders in digital Spanish to the snipers on nearby rooftops, never stopping her song.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

Being experienced in surprise attacks, Blood simply jumped back and ordered his own forces to release a counterattack that came against the territory's borders, and although he would deal with the mortician first apparently, soon enough he'll kill that puppeteer.

In another place and unfortunately away from His Lady, an impressive canine looking creature of silverine fur found himself in a dark corridor. When he heard heeled steps running his way, The Bandersnatch changed his form back to a human-like appearance, blinking in surprise when he identified Ava as the one chasing after him.

"I didn't think you'd be here, Winxy Pistol. I guess that light brought us to the university." He said while looking around the wide hall. "But before I forget," He pulled out his gun and shot at a silent monster, seemingly made out of shadows covering a body, that was lingering behind the woman.

Ava grinned and brandished her own pistols. "Well, aren't you a gentleman~!" Mind if I join the party?" Not bothering to hear a response, she started firing from left to right as more monsters began to spawn in front of them from out of the shadows around them.

Biggs Bandersnatch sighed before bolstering his favorite weapon: a large, two handled serrated sword."Let's end this and move out."

As the creatures were slain, the fallen bodies of former test subjects, previously human and inhuman enemies of the Lullaby, were abandoned by the shadows. And once the majority of them were down for the count, Ava looked at the Bandersnatch with a raised brow. "So, mind telling me what's really going on here?"

"The portal to Spades is barely opening, but since it's unstable, it's also letting in ...call them monsters or shadows , that's what they are." He frowned looking at a disappearing corpse. "The shadows are bringing in madness too. That's why it isn't yet time for it to open. Spades is still not repaired from what happened last time" He looked at Ava, his sword disappearing. "Right now, our main priority is to get in contact with the Lady. Think you can do that?"

Ava nodded and darted across to the other side of the building, just while a loud roar echoed across the facility. The Bandersnatch cussed before releasing a low growl to follow the source of the noise, the Winxy Pistol not too far behind him.

xRVx

"It seems like this little picnic just became an unofficial assembly." Blood looked around at all the other holders that had managed to reach the place and were taking sides. "Guess I better kill her before someone steals that pleasure from me." He said while avoiding a blast from Gowland's shotgun.

"You think I'll let you act in my territory?" Julius attacked Blood, followed by Gowland. "Don't you have Alice to take care off?"

"It seems that the mortician had been too busy playing around that he didn't notice that the young lady has already left this world," The Mad Hatter smiled a cold grin at Julius as the blue-haired male kept his gun aimed in the center of his chest.

"Instead you've been helping this troublesome rat after all, Clockmaker. And what did she promise in return? Love? Sex? Or all of the above? I was promised the same thing, and look where it got me. Winning the game means nothing."

BANG!

BANG!

"You should explain later, Julius." Gowland smiled, cocking his rifle before shooting more rounds at Blood.

Boris blinked in surprise at the woman standing on the rooftops, golden orbs widening ever so slightly. "So that's the lady who's been causing all of this?" He asked before a wide grin stretched across his mouth. "She's sure to be tons of fun then~!"

Peter White, otherwise known to Wonderland as Heart Castle's Prime Minister, just kept his own pistol aimed at the darkness lingering around Aria, red eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm not going to waste any more time with germ-infested vermin. I refuse to accept that my precious Alice has left Wonderland for good! After all, how could she have departed from this world when I can still feel her Game being carried on?" The rabbit-eared man growled, and shot at the mercenary. However, much to everyone's surprise, shadows around the woman rose to block the shoot while she continued singing, seemingly ignoring them.

"And what makes you think it's Alice's game the one you've been playing all along, Sir Peter?" Ace appeared, blocking Peter's bullets with his sword.

Peter aimed again, but he had to jump back when a sharp knife came his way. "So that pesky incubus is in this?" The bespectacled rabbit groaned, looking around the area yet unable to locate Nightmare anywhere within the vicinity.

Gray Ringmarc didn't answer. He just attacked, wondering himself what was really going on. Despite Nightmare's instructions about this person, he came here to prevent anyone from killing her before Nightmare arrived. And he was not the only Role Holder around. Almost everyone was here.

As the Role Holders took their sides and positions, Julius evaded a barrage of lead from the Hatter and returned them with rounds from his pistol. He was confused at Aria's motives. What her real purpose being here, and why wasn't she using her weaponry or tricks to attack him, even the other Role Holders? The mercenary even ignored Blood at gunpoint… or was she? Something was off, but before he could think on it any further, a sudden pillar of light in the distance caught his and everyone's attention.

Up above the battlefield, Aria was estimating scenarios and outcomes when the pillar of light appeared right in the direction of the university. Less than a few seconds later, the Berceuse picked up a weak emergency signal through the encrypted comms system from the university. Her precious university.

xRVx

Bright green eyes widened when the sound of a loud groan reached Erin's ears. It was close...very close. But...where? The fourth Outsider jolted at the noise again, pulse beginning to race. "L-Leo? Do you hear something?"

"Shhh" Leo hushed, taking out his trusty bowie knife as he prepared for battle, standing with his back facing Erin's back. "Erin, we're probably have to fight. Those noises do not seem human. Maybe some of the test subjects escaped."

Erin slowly turned her head upwards, and gasped. Hovering above them was a dark cloud, twisting and making those spine-chilling noises until it became a familiar, horrible face that they didn't knew but that Leo recognized immediately.

"The Jabberwocky!" Leo whispered as his hands trembled for a second.

Erin had heard a bit about it, but she didn't knew much except that it was supposed to be trapped in Spades. But why is it here?! And how!? Just when these thoughts crossed her mind, the sound of gunfire rang across the hall. The Jabberwocky reared his head around towards the doors bursting open by a man with silver hair.

"Wedge! It's not time yet! You'll only unstabilize the portals!" The silver haired man growled, the pupils of his electric blue eyes stretching into slits as his body changed to take upon his real form. "Back off for now comrade!" The frumious wolven growled pleadingly, his fur puffed out and looking like metal needles while the shadow dragon turned to look at him and growled back, not heeding the Bandersnatch's words.

Erin stood near Leo, her hands still holding onto the Vorpal Blade as she watched its every move closely, but the mass of darkness was still forming, and the more she looked at it, the more she felt the weight of Madness approaching, oozing from this ...thing.

At Erin's side, the well dressed faceless felt a tremor of fear pulse through his veins, yet he stood ground as well, ready to fight against the Frumious Beast.

The Jabberwocky let out a new roar of intimidation and continued to absorb the darkness around it, and unbeknownst to the fourth Outsider, her own shadow too began being drained.

"Shit!" At that very moment, the Bandersnatch reached a grim conclusion. "Leo, this is not the real Jabberwocky. It's only an avatar of Wedge, a vanguard force and a cheap knock-off made from darkness and 's the nightmare realm taking form!"

If Leo had eyes, they would be as wide as a pair of dinner plates at his comrade's words. "T-Then what about its shadow?!"

"This thing followed the real Jabberwock's will to come into this side of the mirror to make a path." The Bandersnatch twitched his tail and shoot some of his needle fur towards the other beast. "We need to stop that thing! It's too early for all frumious beast to come here!" he growled and jumped forward to slash around the shadows.

Erin shared a look with Leo, holding up the Vorpal Blade. "You lead, I'll follow."

xRVx

ack in the city, Aria decided to push things up a notch and quieted for a second, adjusting the soundtrack within the music databank to initiate a modified version of an old favorite song that could rally the masses into revolution: _La Marseillaise_.

The first notes of the melody echoed from the speakers. It sounded like some sort of old foreign military march, but as soon as she began singing, her voice was joined by all her forces into an unstoppable crescendo.

 **Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides!**

 **Le jour de gloire est arrivé!**

 **Contre tout de la tyrannie,**

 **L'étendard sanglant est levé..**.

However, while The Berceuse 'sang', she discreetly disrupted the mana around, bending the fabric of existence to absorb the Role Holders' energy to stabilize the portal at the same time that some of that energy was channeled to her faceless vessels; it tired her out quickly and strained her body, right to the point where she began to 'cry' tears of blood and damage her body. It was a hefty price, but one that the Berceuse would gladly pay to accomplish all of her goals: strengthen the Lullaby troops to defeat their holder enemies while ensuring the future of her faction's operations and that of Wonderland towards progress and enlightenment without the tyranny of the holders.

When the drop of power hit all holders, Julius figured it out. With a heavy gear in his clock, Julius realized that Aria had tricked all of the Role Holders, including himself, into coming here for this reason. She was using them all at the same time; she was going to sacrifice them to stabilize the portal and redistribute the world's energy, that or she wanted them together in order to kill them all. Two birds with one stone. Even if it costed her own life and that of her supporters, Aria was ready to throw it all away. He gulped. At this moment, seeing just how broken this foreigner had become, slapped the Undertaker across his paling face, all her terrible power and malice, all the hurt and despair! ...and yet, he couldn't blame her.

At the same time, unable to take in all the energy Aria was directing at them, some of her faceless cards turned into berserker-like monsters. Visible mutations distorting their forms. They were doing one of two things around them: helping their allies y rampaging on their enemies, or killing their comrades as well as their enemies.

From the other side of the Looking Glass, Joker oversaw everything with a wide grin stretched across his face. For a second he felt his power drop, yet his smile widened albeit in a nasty way while his red eyes focused on the drained foreigner orchestrating the most deviously concocted. The best part of all was that they weren't enduring it well.

"Looks like now we can and should intervene, don't you agree, Black?" One side of Joker clapped, a serene smile on his face at the sight of such carnage. His darker persona scoffed, crossing his arms as he examined the event too.

"It's our fucking responsibility after all, White." The darker persona of Joker snapped, crossing his arms.

Through the mirror, they saw Aria Hadron Scherzi fall to one knee, bleeding from ears, mouth,nose and even eyes. trembling and twitching. But she still sang, all while Madness and shadows began moving around at an uncontrollable speed, with a beautiful grin spread across blood-red lips.

" _ **She'd better be alive when we get there**_. "

* * *

Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the long-awaited installation of **Red Velvet** to be published until now. A lot has happened, but please be assured that this story shall continue to make progress. hank you so much to the readers who have waited so patiently, I couldn't have come through without your support! And so without further ado, here are a few words from **chaos-dark-lord**!

 **chaos-dark-lord: Hello everyone. It's been a bit longer than anticipated, but the chap is here and the end is near MWAHAHAHA. Erin is fighting, but will she be able to do something? D And where could Elliot be? And it doesn't seems like Joker is going to take it that easy here either. And don't fret dear readers. Although we are taking things slowly, be assured progress is being made.**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Heart no Kuni no Alice** and **Doctor Who**. Some of the elements in the story have been incorporated belong to _chaos-dark-lord_ but I have received permission to use them from _Wonderful Wonderful Science_ and its sequel _Wonderful Wonderful Science: Diamond Dust_. There are also referentrces from the M-rated one shots she has published, and are canon in this story.

Here it is, the final battle and its conclusion in Red Velvet! There will be two endings following this chapter though the rating for this fic will become M-rated once they are published. So without further ado, here are a few words from chaos-dark-lord, who in her own words, has commanded to release the Kraken XD

Gallifrey still stands!

 **Chaos-dark-lord** : It's been quite fun to co-write this segment. I hope you like it, we certainly do. Keep in mind, we do look forward to hearing your feedback and just how this story will end. :)

* * *

In a sense, the Madness was like an opium pipe to the Bandersnatch. He knew its adverse side effects, how if he simply gave in, everything that the Lullaby and His Lady stood for would become the flames that ignite the inferno of his Frumious nature. But at the same time he didn't give a flying fuck; what was the harm of consuming just a little? he could devour anything that could harm his beloved Lady, and anything and everything in this world could be a danger to her, so devouring it all was fine. A little bit shouldn't hurt anyone, right? Right?!

Leo took a step back, watching in horror as inky tendrils started to seep through his comrade's silver fur; the Madness was starting to erode the Bandersnatch's psyche brick by brick, his moral compass deviating to insanity. But because he was distracted by this terrifying transformation, the faceless man did not realize that he too would be impaled by the Madness' physical form as it slithered towards him, ready to strike. Well he would, if it hadn't been for the Winxy Pistol's quick reflexes. Firing three, four rounds at the tendrils, they evaporated into nothingness.

Ava stared pointedly at the startled male before she reloaded her weapon. "Now's not the time to get too distracted," she raised the pistols in the air, clicking her tongue in annoyance as more of the Madness headed towards her. "I finally made a connection to the comms system, and things are not looking good. More portals are popping up in Wonderland, Lady Aria is fighting the Role Holders, and she's just activated Operation Red Dawn. If we don't close those portals soon, then we'll lose more than soldiers. We'll lose our Sun."

Erin, who was still dodging obsidian tentacles or slicing them apart with the Vorpal Blade, looked at Ava with flustered expression. "Uh, I hate to interrupt but what exactly is Operation Red Dawn?"

Ava inhaled a deep breath before evading another tendril while she explained herself, not tearing her gaze away from the contaminating corruption. "Aria...Our Lady is using the lives and mana of the Role Holders, as well as her own existence, to stabilize those portals, thus weakening herself greatly. If she were to go head-to-head against the fake Jabberwocky right now -"

"We could have more than a disaster on our hands." Leo finished, brandishing his weapon to fight as well, yet could still not look away from the Frumious Beast nearby. He swore under his breath. "Dammit, being weakened to stabilize the portals allows the Madness to influence Lady A more easily, just like how it's affecting Bandy right now."

Erin quickly intercepted an attack from a tendril and sliced it in half. "So, Aria planned the operation with the intent of killing the Role Holders?"

The Winxy Pistol shook her head and fired another round. "She never planned on confronting them first, but she was ready for it. The original plan was to collect energy in order to reconnect both sides of the Looking Glass. However, what's happening now is also affecting Leo and myself."

The foreigner looked at Leo in concern. "Are you all right?"

Leo managed to nod among the chaos of the fight. "It has the opposite effect on us. We get stronger, and that strength almost becomes too overwhelming. Eventually we won't be able to take it. Frankly I'm surprised Ava hasn't gotten drunk from the upgrades she's received in this situation."

"You're welcome asswipe." Ava grunted.

"Be that as it may," Erin intercepted before the two faceless individuals could get into a petty argument on the battlefield, "You're insinuating that we need a significant amount of energy to shut down those portals and stabilize Wonderland, but Aria's the only person who can literally reshape the world, correct?" When she saw them nod in agreement, the college graduate tightened her grip on the intricate handle of her weapon. The only reason foreigners are valued in this dimension is because they're unique, that they have a heart when everyone else has a clock. And the vial...the vial…

Digging into her pocket, Erin pulled out the tiny glass container with an oddly-shaped stopper. It was nearly half of the way full. Aria had discovered how to use the vial's contents, so maybe she could apply the same methods as the mercenary had done since coming to Wonderland. If the liquid in this vial is just as valued as a heart, then…

"Guys, I think I know what to do! If I use what I've collected in Wonderland, it just might have power to stabilize the portals before Aria starts to lose herself to the Madness or worse. It's a risky gamble -"

"Of course it's risky, Erin!" Leo yelled, looking at the Outsider with an expression that clearly indicated shock and fear despite having no eyes or distinguishing features. "You could lose your memories again, and this time they may be lost forever! Do you want to do that? Do you want to forget what you've been through, the truth that those Role Holders have been trying to hide from you since the beginning? Forget...about me? About us?"

Erin did not verbally respond. Instead, she charged forward, ducking behind a pillar. She held the vial in one hand and the Vorpal Blade in the other. If she was honest with herself, the very notion of losing her memories all over again terrified Erin. Her vial wasn't completely full. There might be enough power to assist with Aria's efforts regarding the portal, but does not guarantee any protection from any post side-effects. She could forget about the truth of what really happened to Uncle Sal, Lullaby, Aria, and even Leo. But...she trusted them. The Outsider trusted the organization to make sure she did not forget them for a second time. If it'll save thousands of lives in Wonderland...then maybe some things are best left forgotten. That was the last thought that crossed Erin's mind as she heard Leo call out to her.

"We'll make sure you've got enough cover to reach the control room, Erin! And please...be safe. Okay?" Leo said.

Erin was about to confirm that she heard him when a gun being fired repeatedly rang in her ears, followed by profound cursing. Looking from behind the pillar, the foreigner saw a man with hare ears aiming a flintlock pistol at Ava. He was unharmed, and packing some serious heat. The Winxy Pistol did not look too happy to see Elliot March either. Erin swore silently under her breath. Fantastic. This is the last person I want to see right now.

That had been her thought, until she got an idea. An absolutely terrible idea given to the current situation they were all in, but there is strength in numbers right? Inhaling a deep breath, Erin called out to the Role Holder. "Mister March, can you possibly create an opening so I can get through here?" She saw his ears twitch and violet orbs widened slightly before they narrowed in motivation.

"Yeah, I can definitely do that! I'll distract these bastards so you can get out of here -"

The college graduate quickly responded, not wanting the Hatters' second-in-command to get too trigger happy; at least, for the moment. "I can't do that, Mister March. I can't leave here until I've straightened out the mess I've made. I'm going to stabilize the portals, and the only way to do that is to do it inside the control room," she winced as a unholy howl echoed across the facility. That...was definitely not a good sign.

"What?! Erin, why you - "The March Hare looked incredulous at the foreigner but was stopped when she yelled at him for the first time.

"DO YOU WANT TO LIVE, OR DO YOU WANT THE MADNESS TO CONSUME EVERY LIVING THING IN WONDERLAND?" Erin screamed. "YOU'RE A ROLE HOLDER, AREN'T YOU? THE RULES OF THE GAME DICTATE THAT YOU CAN'T DENY A WISH FROM ME, AN OUTSIDER. SO PLEASE, ELLIOT, HELP AVA AND LEO CREATE A PATH SO I CAN GET THROUGH, OR SO HELP ME _I'LL_ BE THE ONE TO PUMP YOU FULL OF LEAD!"

An awkward silence fell between them before Elliot shouted back, "Fine, I'll do it! But I want a kiss as payment, got it?!"

The scholar could not believe she was hearing. "Seriously, Elliot?! This is definitely not the time or place for a kiss! I'll do it once we get out of here alive, all right?" Erin protested, only to hear an cacophony of snarling and gunfire, followed by stomping boots. Seconds later the Hatters' second-in-command stood in front of Erin; then without any warning, he pulled the fourth Outsider towards him. He was kissing her, rebelling against the idea to reap his reward at a later date. While the gesture itself caught the young woman completely off guard, it wasn't too bad...at least until Erin's head was suddenly slammed with random images, as if there was a movie playing inside her little grey cells. The first time she met Elliot at the Amusement Park, camping out with the Knave of Hearts in a remote forest until being 'moved' to Clover Country, discovering hidden messages inside pink booklets. Uncle Sal. Her memories. After all of this time...she had finally gotten them back.

Yet such a revelation was cut off when Erin felt something warm and wet rub insistently prodding against her lips. Urgh. Right. Elliot. The fourth Outsider a palm in the air to soundly slap the bloke for an unnecessarily drawn-out kiss, but she had been beaten by bullets fired by an angered Leo nearby; even though his target had been Elliot, the March Hare managed to evade the volley with a high leap in the air. And Erin was still in his grasp.

When the Hatters' second-in-command finally pulled away from the scholar, Elliot was suddenly assaulted by random and fragmented images. Were...are these his real memories, or were these fake? Either way, they had a common denominator: a monster who took the shape of a woman surrounded by darkness with glowing technological eyes, and faceless denizens who were more than willing to die for her twisted objectives.

Breathing hard, he looked at Erin straight in the eye. "...You're right. I can't deny an Outsider's request, especially if it's to protect Wonderland," Elliot pulled out a handful of ammo from his pocket and reloaded. "I'll provide cover until you can reach the control room. Just be careful, okay?"

The only answer he received was a quiet 'thank you', and then the foreigner started to run again. Mauve orbs watched her tiny frame take off, the Vorpal Blade clutched tightly in Erin's grasp. When this is all over...I'll be her shield and sword. No one else is more qualified for the job than me. Not even the weapon she has, or that faceless she cares about. He raised his gun in the air, aiming it at a dragon's head that snarled and hissed, darkness surrounding it. It was here. The fake Jabberwocky.

 _ **The foreigner is mine.**_

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

Meanwhile, Ava and Leo were busy handling the corrupted Bandersnatch. Whenever he attacked one of them, their companion counterattacked from the side. Materializing a saber from the dark matter, Leo struck multiple times. This particular technique released a strong vibration, thereby causing an impact on the shadows' regeneration. But while he preferred to feel his enemy weaken, the Winxy Pistol used her guns as an alternative method. The bullets she placed in the loading chamber caused two things to happen to their enemy: an explosion, or create a micro field when they struck its target. When the latter occurs, Bandy's movements are restricted for a fraction of a second.

As Elliot mowed down the dark tentacles and the whiskers of the fake Jabberwocky that were trying to prevent Erin from reaching the control room, she was still moving forward. By relinquishing the control of her dominant hand to the real Vorpal Blade, it destroyed the tendrils swiftly and decisively, albeit in a flashy way as if to shout to Wonderland, 'I am the real thing, take that bitches!'

Unfortunately for the March Hare, his job became more difficult as he was assigned another pleasant task: distracting the Jabberwocky's shadow too. Even as he dodged, attacked, and then repeated the cycle all over again, Elliot had to be honest with himself: he did not care. He did not desire nor need any memories he maybe getting back from this clusterfuck of a mess. What was the point of having them, when Erin would in none of them? He still wanted to keep the fourth Outsider from being infected by the Madness any further and at the same time he wanted to kill her to make Blood happy. If those portals aren't stabilized soon, even Alice will be in danger.

"Ava, I can make it to the control room! Do I need anything to bypass its security and enter the computer's mainframe? A key, a password?" Erin shouted, peeking from behind the last pillar that was the closest to her destination. She could see the entrance from her current checkpoint.

"Oh, right!" The faceless woman glanced back at the Outsider before replying, "You'll need a special card! Here!" Firing three more bullets at her current target, Ava tossed her handgun up in the air while twisting her upper body to pull out a diamond-shaped card. Tossing the special item to the Lullaby's little moon, Ava ended her piruet in time to catch her pistol and fired a barrage of energy bullets. The time lapse allowed Erin to dart across the university's checkered floor and grab the card, yet was sent tumbling forward when a tendril coiled around around her ankle.

"Shit!"

Erin sliced off the tentacle with the Vorpal Blade and quickly scampered across the floor. Once she was on the other side, the young woman pulled out the vial from her pocket before releasing a weak, relieved sigh. Good. The 'key' wasn't damage from the impact. Placing it it a more secure location on her person, she charged forward to the control room. The Jabberwocky's shadows tried to reclaim their target but were bulldozed by bullets from the March Hare.

"Hurry Erin! There isn't much time!" Elliot screamed, covering her retreat as Erin rushed forward, trying to find an opening. Seeing this, Leo sliced another tendril from the Jabberwocky's shadow. As much as he desired to protect his beloved as well, dealing with his unhinged comrade was also a hefty effort. But then, the false Vorpal Blade had an idea. The faceless gentleman looked at Ava, extending a palm towards his partner.

"Ava, let's dance!"

The Winxy Pistol immediately grabbed his hand, trading places with him akin to a waltz in the middle of a battlefield. Leo's plan worked; Ava was able to get a good shot at the Jabberwocky, while he projected energy into his sword, slicing the creature's throbbing temple. At that moment Elliot saw an opening, and he took it. Quickly reloading, he fired four, five, six pistols to stun the creature.

"Erin!"

Inhaling a deep breath, Erin quickened her pace and slid across the checkered floor, raising the Vorpal Blade to slice the dragon's throat from underneath its large form. Such a surprise attack alarmed the terrible beast as it released a loud roar, a terrible noise echoing across the university. Standing up, emerald orbs watched as the fake Jabberwocky's body began to regenerate, gathering shadows once more. However, her only protection began to tug the Outsider towards the very obstacle she was trying to get pass.

The Vorpal Blade wanted the Jabberwocky's blood, to decapitate its longtime enemy and finish their blood feud. She felt its' malicious and eager thoughts, creeping into her mind before screaming, screaming for more. _More. MORE_.

 ** _IwantitrightnowrightnowjustalittlebloodpleasepleasePLEASE._** Left with no other choice, Erin abandoned the Vorpal Blade so as to not waste any more precious time and entered the control room.

Inside the facility was a portal, a large mass that seemed to be created from molten dark metals and from which shadows kept escaping. A mixture of amorphous mass and energy that was beyond Erin's comprehension. She opened her clenched fist and looked at the vial with a frustrated frown. _How in the hell am I going to shut this portal? It just seems to be getting more and more out of control. Like a black hole that sucks in everything. Will this even be enough to close the portal?_

Just when the fourth Outsider was to toss the vial into the portal itself, something appeared in the corner of her eye. A...control panel? Walking towards it, there were three words written on its white screen.

STABILIZATION PROCESS

START?

Pressing a few keys, Erin was able to adjust its biometric programming via voice recognition. To the foreigner's surprise, the computer recognized her as "little moon" and asked for the activation card with the planned route matrix. Believing it was referring to the one Ava gave her, Erin pulled it out from her shirt and inserted it. The machine whirled and buzzed before two indented slots appeared. One that was shaped like her vial, and the other had a cap shaped like a spade. Aria must have planned the need to her own vial as an emergency.

Removing the diamond-shaped cap of her vial, Erin placed the item into its intended compartment. Once it was closed, embed liens started to glow, releasing energy from the potion and channeling it to the core portal as well as the rest of the facility.

" _Process has commenced. Ready to input will as commanded, little moon_." The computer dictated. Then suddenly, a partiture appeared on the screen. She looked at its contents, then came to horrified conclusion: she can not sing her 'will' or mana as Aria is able to. Baking was the only way she knew how to channel Wonderland's energy. She looked at the title of the song Aria had programmed to use.

 _"Non, je ne regrette rien" by Édith Piaf_

Erin could not speak a lick of the aforementioned language, and had the feeling if she tried to sing it, then the energy could not be properly channeled to stabilize the portal. But that did not mean she could use the music, and sings about something she knew very well, right? Exhaling a deep breath, she pressed the 'start' button. Listening to its melancholy notes, Erin began to sing.

She named the ingredients for a red velvet cake, followed by instructions on its prep work.

As the scholar retained her focus on reciting the recipe she had wanted to prepare for all of Wonderland to taste, at the same time a wish grew inside her heart. A wish for the portals to stabilize, and to never forget this night.

Erin barely heard the door opening behind her. When she did turn her head to the source of the noise, the scholar saw March Hare trying force himself inside the control room by firing bullets at the barrier. Yet just before he could step a single foot inside the facility, a bright flash of white light engulfed the room. The next thing Erin knew was being teleported into the heart of the Clock Tower's territory.

The place was more than a mere battlefront; the air was thick with smoke and debris, followed by an orchestra of explosions and shouting constantly ringing in her ears to the point it made Erin almost vomit. Barricades and burned vehicles were scattered all over. People were fighting in every direction; some against Role Holders, others braved against the darkness conceived by the Madness. Despite being the most powerful and influential individuals in Wonderland, they couldn't fight in a united front with all of the chaos surrounding them.

But Aria Hadron Scherzi was still standing on top of a building, and she was a sight for Erin's sore eyes. The mercenary was determined to carry on with her endeavour even when she was already on her knees, bleeding from the mouth, nose, and even her eyes. The foreigner's frame was trembling violently, resisting any protocol within her programming while keeping her pixel, glowing gaze on the Role Holders as her armour melted into shadows that fought with the flames of darkness that surrounded her.

Meanwhile, Elliot stumbled to stand up as confusion reigned over his dazed mind for a few seconds. The first thing he noticed was Erin struggling to stand up as well, and when the March Hare was about to jump in and help the foreigner, he stopped. The sight of Blood Dupre struggling to hold off against a monstrosity nearby caused Elliot an internal conflict. Who should he save? The man who saved him from an eternal imprisonment, or the Outsider he loved? Gritting his teeth, Elliot made his choice.

He ran towards Blood.

Erin also did not know what her next move should be. But before she could even think, someone appeared in front of her. Joker, in his warden's attire. He smiled gleefully despite being the middle of a battlefield, and coiled an arm around her waist, forcefully pulling the Outsider away.

"ERIN!"

Julius Monrey, despite being badly injured in this battle against the Lullaby as well as the Madness, could see the pair through the smoky air. He couldn't be there for Aria when she needed someone, and he'll be damned if he couldn't save at least this foreigner in his miserable role as Wonderland's mortician. Panting heavily, he raised a trembling arm towards the sky. His cobalt blue orbs flashed for a second, and then the movement in the world came to a halt. Time had been frozen, with the exception of Aria's melody. Bullets were stopped in mid air, flames stopped flickering, everyone was paralyzed in their position even if they were in the mid of a jump on the air.

Pulling herself away from the stiffened Joker, Erin ran towards Julius. He was the only person who was moving besides herself and Aria, whom was glaring down at the Clockmaker in her futile attempts to stand up.

Erin looked around, astounded. "What's happening? What did you do?"

"I stopped time." Julius explaining, limping and moving his beaten body forward. "Outsiders are out of my jurisdiction," He looked back at Aria and meet her glare with a remorseful expression. He before he turned towards Erin. "I can only manage this for a few more moments."

Erin nodded. "That should be enough. I was able to stabilize the portals."

He looked at Aria again and screamed, "Did you hear that, Aria? The portals are stable, you can stop! Please stop! You won't be able to resist the Madness for much longer either!" But his plea fell onto deaf ears; Aria's song continued to pierce through the polluted air, as the ex-mercenary managed to stand up through sheer will and anger.

Julius's grimace turned to Erin with a desperate pleading face. "Erin, please save her." He begged. "She is killing herself in order to ..." He didn't finish his phrase, falling onto his knees as mana was being drained from his body. "I can only give you a few more seconds."

The scholar looked around the vicinity, seeing thaus in the main song among the corpses that laid at her feet was an entoner, a supporter for the Lullaby's elite task force whose role in this battle was to chorus the main song. Murmuring an apology, Erin struggled to remove the comm microphone from the body. She barely activated it when Julius' spell detactivated, allowing the flow of time resuming its chaotic course.

"Julius!" Ace screamed, from his post among the castle's forces, but the mortician did not react to the sound of the knave's voice. The brown-haired knight ditched his position in order to rush towards the fallen holder, his friend, and the love of his life.

Quickly logging onto the comm system, Erin called out the Lullaby's forces. "All units, please head towards the plaza immediately and neutralize Lady A," She said, watching fearfully as Joker approached her with a scowling face. "If we...if you don't stop Aria from singing, she'll die from overexertion, and that'll give the Role Holders an opportunity to kill your Sun. Please, please save her! Get her out of here, _now_!"

Her message was transmitted throughout the battlefield, causing the Lullaby to desist and survey the condition of their beloved leader. She was bleeding from head to toe with trembling legs, and she still kept standing, still kept singing as her hair floated on static electricity. It was as if she programmed herself in some sort of automatic mode. Then, all of a sudden, she faltered on a note and the fighting came to a halt on the Lullaby's part. Their beloved leader could barely speak anymore, let alone sing.

But as soon as silence filled the air, gunfire reigned supreme once more. This time it was the Mad Hatter who raised his firearm and assaulted Erin with a volley, his motive being to finish the job Elliot had failed to complete. When he saw the revolting woman fall onto the ground, Blood felt some satisfaction; he would have been elated if Alice had come back to this world. However the Role Holder's happiness was fleeting as the other Joker stepped between him and the fourth Outsider, wagging a finger from left to right.

"Now, now, that was very naughty of you Blood~!" Joker raised a gloved hand to reveal four shiny bullets wedged between his fingers. "As fast as I may be, I couldn't stop one from destroying a lovely green eye." The mafioso looked over Joker's shoulder and saw Erin hoisting herself up from the ground with one hand while the other concealed the left side of her face, where crimson liquid steadily dripping between her fingers.

Blood raised an eyebrow, his own emerald gaze thirsting for violence as he adjusted the machine gun towards Joker's chest. "Oh? But should you be the one to drag yourself to the jail cells? You've failed miserably in your duties, so imprisonment should at least be a requirement. Not just that one, but also the other standing over that building; they've clearly been both infected by the Madness."

Just when Joker was about to respond, his darker counterpart appeared beside him. A shit-eating grin stretched across his face as he made a scolding motion with his finger. Joker raised an eyebrow at his companion before he addressed the Hatter again, smiling pleasantly amidst a battlefield. "Of course it's all right. Outsiders aren't tied down to the rules of Wonderland, so there's been no harm done."

"Just send the rest of the rulebreakers my way, and I'll be more than happy to deal with them." Black said, eagerly expecting to have that chance.

Meanwhile, Aria interrupted the ambient with a loud wailing scream while being pulled back by her own men; a small group of soldiers had already been mutated by the Madness, yet had enough sanity to carry out their orders from the little moon. While the Lullaby platoon attempted to restrain Lady Aria, the other notes travelled across the battlefield to remove any evidence or corpses leading back to them as the syndicate responsible for the chaos. The humming that left their mouths mixed in with Aria's disappearing screams, creating an unsettling cacophony until silence reigned supreme over Wonderland once more. As quickly as the Lullaby appeared, they also disappeared without a trace. That also included the other factions, allies, enemies and hired help.

Glancing around the vicinity, White Joker released a small sigh as he addressed the remaining Role Holders. "Given to what's happened, I assume that everyone's recovered at least some of their memories, yes?"

Then all of a sudden the air around them rippled, followed by the appearance of Nightmare, who had at last breached the barrier between the 'dream' of Wonderland and his own realm. His physical state was as beaten and exhausted as that of the other Role Holders who had been fighting on the front lines, if not even more dire.

"I can't allow all those memories to come back to everyone." The silver-haired incubus spat to Joker, glancing at the unconscious mortician and his wayward knave. "Well, not almost everyone here."

Ace blinked once, then twice till a psychotic grin stretched across his blood-stained face. "Oh, I remember now~!" He crowed gleefully, hoisting Julius' stiffened body over his shoulder.

Black burst out laughing while the other Joker's smile became a crooked, nasty expression. "And how does it feels to remember everything~? Whether it was because you made another hopeless deal and remembered beforehand, or because you made a deal with Aria herself, it doesn't matter. Now you know, but what will you do?"

"It would be unknightly if I let adventures unfinished. And it wouldn't be any fun either if I don't start new ones." The knave replied before he turned away, walking in the direction of the Clock Tower. Was he walking correctly this time to his destination? It was possible, because it was either in plain sight view or the shifting dimension of Wonderland wanted the mortician to be taken there.

White then turned his attention to the shell-shocked Role Holders, and addressed them before a single person could ask or even defy him any further. "You should remember too that the Game is still being played, and not being a participant is a very serious crime; more so now than ever because we are all aware of who the real star of the current Game is."

"That might be true Joker, but no one ever said that it's against the rules to kill an Outsider either." Gowland protested as he reloaded the ammo of his rifle, looking at the ammunition through his cracked lenses.

"And that's exactly you've lost every single Game!" Having had enough this unsettling conversation, Erin slowly lifted herself with an angered expression dancing in her emerald eye directed at the Role Holders. "I'm going home. Don't even think about sending any of your men to follow me. I don't care what happens if you dare go after her. I'm in no mood for any more crap, and I want to sleep." Satisfied with the stunned silence she had received from the Role Holders, the fourth Outsider turned around and started to walk away.

Even though most of their memories were snippets about Aria Hardon Scherizi, the Role Holders also remembered something important. It was true that Erin Oswald was neither the star of the Game and recalled very little about Erin Oswald herself, they knew she had a valid point. The current Game would now be impossible to win, especially if they kept using the same methods their predecessors had partook with other foreigners who had come to Wonderland.

"Erin, wait!" Elliot was about to call her out or reach for her, but he stopped after receiving a withering look from Blood. It was an expression that dared his second-in-command to disobey him for some damnable woman who had done nothing but cause chaos and sent Alice back home.

Black smirked. "Aww, you've lost another Game lost before it even began, how sad! What a fucking riot. Still, ya gotta follow the rules and keep playing forever even when the chances of actually winning an Outsider is practically nil~!" White nodded in agreement before he flew towards the retreating foreigner, hovering right in front of Erin.

The young woman stared coldly at the Jester as his boot-clad feet touched the ground, effectively blocking her path. "Since it's quite late, I'll gladly escort you to your apartment. After all, I need to make sure that no one tries to do anything stupid in the seriousness of this situation," He said while sending a glance at the Role Holders. "but first, allow me to fix the damage Blood has done to you." Gently pulling Erin's blood-smeared palm from the left side of her face, White hummed a jolly tune as he waved a gloved hand back and forth, staunching the bleeding and stitching the flesh back together. However, the work itself was crude and left a noticeable scar over the Outsider's now closed eye.

"Unfortunately, I cannot reverse time efficiently or do anything about the damage under normal circumstances, however, they are a bit abnormal at the moment thanks to those portals being opened for an extended period of time."

"It's enough. Thank you." With that being said the two of them departed from the plaza and towards the town while Black remained behind in Wonderland's neutral territory to supervise for a little till he headed back to get some jollies in the Prison. A half an hour later, Erin and the jester stood by the door of apartment number 513 after being cleared by security personnel to go through the gates.

"I should thank you for saving my lovely friend. She has been hiding herself all too well. I'm of course worried about her, but I'll be delighted to contemplate her future actions and would be more than delighted to see her again. And as always Erin, be aware that you do have a choice in this world. To allow yourself to be loved by another, or give yourself more time. You are not the star of the Game yet and I'm not sure if you ever will be. But for the moment, the stakes in this Game will now be left in your hands, Erin Oswald." Then with a flourished bow, White disappears from the scholar's line of sight. Less than a second later Erin shoved a key into the door of her flat, opening and slamming it shut, anger and exhaustion rolling off of her small frame.


End file.
